Dual CD38 and DNA staining of plasma cells in monoclonal gammopathies attained by a rapid, non‐wash and automated method

Dual antigenic and DNA analysis are a prerequisite in order to study DNA content and cell cycle distribution accurately and identify, while studying them separately, neoplastic cells in the mixture of tumour samples with a high proportion of normal cells or when residual normal cells are highly proliferative. We describe a method for the simultaneous detection of surface CD3 8 antigen and study, by flow cytometry, of DNA content in the bone marrow of patients with a monoclonal gammopathy. This standardized, easy-to-perform, and automated flow cytometric non-wash technique allows dual antigen and DNA staining in less than 30 min. The method identifies bone marrow plasma cells and separately calculates their cell cycle distribution by means of a double staining technique for CD38 surface antigen and DNA content.