Expression of CD164 on Malignant T Cells in Sezary Syndrome

Sezary syndrome is a primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma characterized by pruritic erythroderma, peripheral lymphadenopathy and the presence of malignant T cells in the blood. Unequivocal detection of malignant cells in patients with Sezary syndrome is of important diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic value. However, no single Sezary syndrome specific cell surface marker has been identified. In a cohort of patients with Sezary syndrome, CD164 expression on total CD4(+) lymphocytes was significantly upregulated compared with healthy controls. CD164 expression was in most cases limited to CD44(+)CD26(-) malignant T lymphocytes, unequivocally identified using flow-cytometry by the expression of a specific VD clone for each patient. Increased expression of CD164 may be a promising diagnostic parameter and a potential target for a CD164-linked therapeutic approach in Sezary syndrome.