Peripheral blood CD38 expression predicts survival in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Abstract CD38 expression was investigated in 161 untreated patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). A score system, devised ad hoc by integrating the percentage and the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) values of CD38 + cells, indicated that B-CLL patients with a CD38 score ≤3 are characterized by a significantly longer survival compared to those with a CD38 score >3 ( P =0.0026). Thirty-seven percent of patients with a CD38 score ≤3 and 58% of those with a score >3 were dead at 10 years. Multivariate analysis indicates that only the CD38 score successfully predicts survival ( P =0.0028), with an estimated 3.8-fold greater risk of death for those cases with CD38 score >3.