Assessment of serum semaphorin 4D in adult Egyptian patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia

Abstract Background Dendritic cells, T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, and macrophages all express the semaphorin 4D (SEMA4D) protein, which is involved in signal transduction, immunological reaction, as well as regulation of angiogenesis. Moreover, it was suggested that SEMA4D in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells can alter the cell cycle and hinder apoptosis besides increasing the ability of the cells to grow and invade other tissues. Aim To assess serum level of SEMA4D before and after induction chemotherapy in adult Egyptian patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Patients and methods Serum level of SEMA4D was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 30 adult Egyptian patients with newly diagnosed AML before starting chemotherapy and then after chemotherapy treatment in addition to 30 healthy control participants who were matched in age and sex. Results Serum level of SEMA4D was more elevated in AML patients than the healthy control participants either before or after chemotherapy with a statistically high significant difference ( P <0.01). Serum SEMA4D level was higher before starting induction chemotherapy than after completion of induction chemotherapy in AML patients with a statistically high significant difference ( P =0.002). Patients with lower serum SEMA4D after completion of chemotherapy have a higher chance to attain recovery compared to patients with higher SEMA4D levels with a statistically high significant difference ( P =0.001). Conclusion We concluded that serum SEMA4D has a significant role in the pathogenesis of adult AML and can be used as a possible indicator that aids in the diagnosis of adult patients with AML.