Clinical relevance of thrombospondin receptor (CD36) expression in Egyptian de novo adult acute myeloid leukemia

Background: Acute myeloid leukemias (AMLs) are a heterogeneous group of disorders that often present with different morphological, immunophenotypic, and cytogenetic patterns. Identification of these characteristics may be useful for a better prognostic evaluation and for a more appropriate therapeutic approach. CD36 is a transmembrane, highly glycosylated, glycoprotein commonly expressed on blasts in acute monocytic leukemia, megakaryoblastic leukemia, and erythroleukemia.Patients and methods: We evaluated CD36 surface expression in 97 newly diagnosed AML patients, and the results were correlated with the morphology, immunophenotype, cytogenetic pattern, and clinical outcome.Results: CD36 antigen was recorded in 48 of 97 patients (49.5%) and particularly in those with M5 and M6 FAB subtypes. Moreover, CD36 expression was significantly associated with the expression of CD11b (P=0.001) and CD14 (P=0.0001), unfavorable cytogenetic abnormalities (P=0.001), shorter overall survival (P 0.0001), and leukemia-free survival (P=0.03).Conclusion: On the basis of the results of the study, it can be concluded that CD36 expression in AML patients may identify a subgroup with a poor prognosis, and may thus be a valuable adjunct to be added to the current prognostic factors.