Possible link between unique chemokine and homing receptor expression at diagnosis and relapse location in a patient with childhood T-ALL

• Published in: Blood Vol. 103; no. 7; pp. 2806 - 2808
• Main Authors: Annels, Nicola E., Willemze, Annemieke J., van der Velden, Vincent H.J., Faaij, Claudia M.J.M., van Wering, Elisabeth, Sie-Go, Daisy M.D.S., Egeler, R. Maarten, van Tol, Maarten J.D., Révész, Tom
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC Elsevier Inc 01-04-2004; The Americain Society of Hematology
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Calcium Signaling; Child; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Humans; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute - pathology; Leukemias. Malignant lymphomas. Malignant reticulosis. Myelofibrosis; Medical sciences; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma - diagnosis; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma - pathology; Receptors, Chemokine - analysis; Receptors, Lymphocyte Homing - analysis; Recurrence; Human; Relapse; CCR9 chemokine receptor; Acute; Gut; Malignant hemopathy; Chemokine receptor; Precusor T lymphoblastic leukemia; Lymphoproliferative syndrome; Dissemination; Homing phenomenon; Acute lymphocytic leukemia; Localization; Child; Tumor cell
• ISSN: 0006-4971; 1528-0020
• DOI: 10.1182/blood-2003-06-1812

Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is often associated with extramedullary infiltration by leukemic cells at diagnosis or at relapse. To understand the mechanisms behind the dissemination of T-cell ALL (T-ALL) cells this study investigated the homing receptor expression on the blast cells of 11 pediatric T-ALL patients at diagnosis. One patient revealed a unique profile with high expression of the chemokine receptor CCR9 and the integrin CD103 on the T-ALL cells. Both of these molecules are specifically associated with homing to the gut. This finding was clinically significant as the patient later suffered a relapse that was confined to the gut. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the leukemic cells in the gut still expressed CCR9 and colocalized with a high expression of the CCR9 ligand, CCL25. These findings suggest that the original expression of CCR9 and CD103 on the leukemic cells contributed to the relapse location in the gut of this patient. (Blood. 2004;103:2806-2808)