The CD9+CD11b−HLA‐DR− immunophenotype can be used to diagnose acute promyelocytic leukemia

To investigate the immunophenotypic characteristics of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and explore the sensitivity and specificity of various antibody combinations for the timely and accurate diagnosis APL.A retrospective analysis was performed using morphological, immunological, genetic, and molecular biological data from 92 patients diagnosed with APL and 190 controls diagnosed with non-APL acute myeloid leukemia.For APL diagnosis, the CD9/CD11b/human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR antibody combination had 85% sensitivity and 95% specificity, AUC = 0.85. However, the sensitivity and specificity were 39% and 92%, AUC = 0.65, respectively, for the HLA-DR/CD34/CD117 combination, and 80% and 80%, AUC = 0.80, respectively for the CD11b/HLA-DR combination. Significant differences were observed between the different antibody combinations.The CD9/CD11b/HLA-DR antibody combination displays high sensitivity and specificity and can be used to diagnose APL.