The prognostic significance of surface dipeptidylpeptidase IV (CD26) expression in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia

• CD26 expression correlates with Rai’s clinical stage at diagnosis, β2-microglobulin concentration, LDH activity and ALC.
• In B-CLL patients TTT is significantly and independently influenced by clinical disease stage according to Rai, LDH activity and CD26 expression on B-CLL cells.
• CD26 expression correlates with Rai’s stage, β2-microglobulin, LDH and ALC.
• CD26 expression does not correlate with patient’s gender, age and CD38 expression.
• TTT is significantly influenced by Rai’s stage, LDH activity and CD26 expression.

A number of factors related to B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) patients' prognosis have been identified. However, still some factors better reflecting disease activity in individual cases are explored. The study aimed to evaluate prognostic significance of dipeptidylpeptidase IV/CD26 expression on B-CLL cells and its relationship with other well established prognostic factors. The study included 94 patients with newly diagnosed B-CLL and involved analysis of clinical, laboratory, flow-cytometry and cytogenetic data. Detailed analysis showed that CD26 expression on B-CLL cells correlates with Rai’s clinical stage of the disease at diagnosis (p = 0.034), β2-microglobulin concentration (p = 0.012), lactic acid dehydrogenase activity (p = 0.045) and absolute lymphocytes’ count (p = 0.027) in the blood. The multivariate analysis revealed that time to treatment (TTT) was significantly influenced by Rai clinical stage, LDH activity in blood and CD26 expression on B-CLL cell’s. Moreover, in the multivariate analysis restricted to the group of patients with documented cytogenetic risk (n = 36) CD26 expression, Rai clinical stage and cytogenetic profile remained their independent impact on TTT. The results of our study indicate that the CD26 expression should be incorporated in B-CLL patients risk assessment along with well known prognostic factors, since it seems to have a relationship with the tumor mass and influences TTT.