CD 3

This test is used to find the presence of CD-3 cells in the blood.

What are CD-3 cells?

CD-3 is a cluster of proteins that are associated directly with the T-cell antigen receptor (TCR). CD-3 consists of 5 invariant polypeptide chains which are associated to form three dimers. Those five invariant chains are labeled as delta, epsilon, gamma, zeta, and eta. The CD-3 helps in the development of T-cell and its survival. The CD-3 is involved in signal transduction to the T-cell interior following antigen recognition. CD-3 is expressed on T-cells in bone marrow, thymus, peripheral lymphoid tissue, and blood. CD-3 is the most used marker for identification of T-cell and T-cell derived malignancies.

What is Immunohistochemistry?

Immunohistochemistry is a test used for detecting specific molecules on cells. This test is a technique which uses antibodies matching molecules that can identify and attach themselves to these makers on the cells. The antibodies are designed in such a way to work with tags that can be seen or detected under a microscope. Immunohistochemistry has many applications in the medical field, especially in cancer diagnosis. Lymphomas are the cancers which are dependent on immunohistochemistry for the accurate diagnosis and for the cancer therapy. Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system consists of lymph nodes and lymph vessels which moves lymph fluid through the body. Lymph fluid has white blood cells in it which helps in fighting against bacteria during an infection. Lymph nodes act as filters by filtering the bacteria and viruses and destroying them. Thus it prevents the infection from spreading to other parts. General symptoms of lymphoma are tiredness, cough, fever, stomach pain, enlarged spleen, sweating at night, shortness of breath, itching, rashes, bone pain, unexplained weight loss, pain while drinking alcohol, etc.

Why this test is performed?

This test may be recommended to assess the individual’s immune system, HIV infection, cancers like lymphomas, autoimmune disorders like celiac disease, to know the effectiveness of HIV treatment or cancer treatment.

Precautions:

Some medicines such as immunosuppressive drugs (tacrolimus, cyclosporine) may interfere with the test results. Hence inform about your current medical condition and medications to the doctor or technician before the test.

The normal test results may vary depending on gender, age, health history, etc. There are no specific guidelines to interpret the results.

Hence, consult your doctor with your test results for the further diagnosis or medical intervention.