4th Palermo Conference on INNOVATIVE THERAPIES FOR LYMPHOID MALIGNANCIES
Published online 9 December 2008
Haematologica, Vol 94, Issue 2, 285-288 doi:10.3324/haematol.13855
Copyright © 2009 by Ferrata Storti Foundation
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Plasmacitoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasms

Cytoplasmic nucleophosmin is not detected in blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm

Fabio Facchetti1, Stefano A. Pileri2, Claudio Agostinelli2, Maria Paola Martelli3, Marco Paulli4, Adriano Venditti5, Massimo F Martelli3, Brunangelo Falini3

1 Institute of Pathology, Spedali Civili, University of Brescia, Brescia
2 Unit of Hematopathology, University of Bologna, Policlinico S. Orsola, Bologna
3 Institute of Hematology, University of Perugia, Perugia
4 Institute of Pathology, Policlinico "S. Matteo", University of Pavia, Pavia and
5 Institute of Hematology, University of Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Correspondence: Brunangelo Falini, MD, Institute of Hematology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy. E-mail:faliniem{at}unipg.it

Acute myeloid leukemia carrying cytoplasmic mutated nucleophosmin (NPMc+ AML) and blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm have been included as new entities in the 4th edition (2008) WHO classification of myeloid neoplasms. These conditions may show clinical and pathological overlapping features (leukemic and skin involvement, and expression of macrophage markers). In this study, we provide evidence that aberrant cytoplasmic dislocation of nucleophosmin – the immunohistochemical surrogate for NPM1 mutations – allows the two entities to be genetically separated. In fact, nucleophosmin is consistently cytoplasmic in NPMc+ AML (because of the presence of NPM1 mutations), whilst it is nucleus-restricted (predictive of a germline NPM1 gene) in blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm. Our results clearly point cytoplasmic nucleophosmin (a full predictor of NPM1 mutations) as a new marker for distinguishing NPMc+ AML and blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm, further clarify the cell of origin of NPMc+ AML, and justify the inclusion of these pathological conditions as separate entities in the new WHO classification.

Key words: plasmacytoid dendritic cells, acute myeloid leukemia, NPM1, nucleophosmin, mutations, antibodies, immunohistochemistry.