Flow cytometry diagnosis in myelodysplastic syndrome: Current practice in Latin America and comparison with other regions of the world.

BACKGROUND: Flow cytometry (FC) is a valuable tool for the diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). We present results of a survey carried out to evaluate FC current practice for MDS diagnosis in Latin America (LA), focusing on markers used and characteristics of the clinical diagnostic report. Compliance to IMDSflow recommendations was also evaluated. These practices were then compared with those used in other countries. METHODS: An online survey was sent through the Grupo Latino-Americano de Mielodisplasia to LA cytometrists and other international scientific societies. RESULTS: 91 responses from 15 LA countries were received. The median of the number of markers used was 20 ± 4.5, but only 8.1% of participants adopted the complete panel proposed by the International/European LeukemiaNet Working Group (IMDSflow). We received 140 eligible answers from regions other than LA (66 Europe, 59 USA-Canada, 8 Oceania, 6 Asia and 1 Africa). LA utilized more markers for MDS diagnosis than USA/Canada (p = 0.006), but similar to Europe. The use of MDS scoring systems differed among regions: 10.3% in LA, 0% USA/Canada and 25.7% Europe reported the "Ogata score". Finally, 52.0% of all participants included a general interpretation statement in the final report about the consistency of the FC results with MDS diagnosis, with no statistical differences between regions. CONCLUSIONS: This survey shows a low compliance with the IMDSflow recommendations and a scarce use of the scoring systems proposed in the literature. However, the number of surface markers used is high. We will work to develop a FC consensus for MDS diagnosis adapted to the clinical practice requirements in LA.

A ten-color tube with dried antibody reagents for the screening of hematological malignancies.

INTRODUCTION: The workflow in clinical flow cytometry laboratories must constantly be reviewed to develop technical procedures that improve quality and productivity and reduce costs. Using the Beckman Coulter dry coating technology, we customized a ten-color tube with dried antibody reagents, designated the Duraclone screening tube (DST), for screening hematological malignancies. Here, we compared the applicability, clinical and numerical equivalence, and cost and time required for the technical procedures between the liquid reagents and the DST. METHODS: The DST contains CD4 + Kappa-FITC, CD8 + Lambda-PE, CD3 + CD14-ECD, CD33-PE-Cy5.5, CD20 + CD56-PE-Cy7, CD34-APC, CD19-APC-AlexaFluor700, CD10-APC-AlexaFluor750, CD5-Pacific Blue, and CD45-Krome Orange. We evaluated 20 bone marrow samples, 13 peripheral blood samples, 6 lymph node biopsy samples, 5 fine-needle aspirate samples, 5 cerebrospinal fluid samples, and 1 pleural fluid sample. RESULTS: The DST was useful for more than 60% of our samples. It was able to enumerate the majority of the populations in all types of samples with a statistically acceptable correlation with the liquid reagents. The use of the DST translated into significant time and cost savings of 15.8% and 12.3%, respectively, compared with the use of the liquid reagent. The cost was reduced by $14.36 per sample. CONCLUSIONS: The DST is an efficient solution for screening hematological malignancies with improved quality, productivity, standardization, and sustainability. These improvements could benefit patients by providing faster diagnoses using a higher quality and lower cost reagent.

Diagnosis of chronic lymphoproliferative disorders by flow cytometry using four-color combinations for immunophenotyping: A proposal of the brazilian group of flow cytometry (GBCFLUX).

BACKGROUND: Multiparametric flow cytometry (MFC) is a powerful tool for the diagnosis of hematological malignancies and has been useful for the classification of chronic lymphoproliferative disorders (CLPD) according to the WHO criteria. Following the purposes of the Brazilian Group of Flow Cytometry (GBCFLUX), the aim of this report was to standardize the minimum requirements to achieve an accurate diagnosis in CLPDs, considering the different economic possibilities of the laboratories in our country. Most laboratories in Brazil work with 4-fluorescence flow cytometers, which is why the GBCFLUX CLPD Committee has proposed 4-color monoclonal antibody (MoAb) panels. METHODS/RESULTS: Panels for screening and diagnosis in B, T and NK lymphoproliferative disorders were developed based on the normal differentiation pathways of these cells and the most frequent phenotypic aberrations. Important markers for prognosis and for minimal residual disease (MRD) evaluation were also included. The MoAb panels presented here were designed based on the diagnostic expertise of the participating laboratories and an extensive literature review. CONCLUSION: The 4-color panels presented to aid in the diagnosis of lymphoproliferative neoplasms by GBCFLUX aim to provide clinical laboratories with a systematic, step-wise, cost-effective, and reproducible approach to obtain an accurate immunophenotypic diagnosis of the most frequent of these disorders. © 2016 International Clinical Cytometry Society.