Background: up to now, the immune status of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients in association with the expression of zeta-chain-associated protein kinase 70 (ZAP-70) in leukemic cells has not been evaluated. Aim: the aim of this work was the study of the peripheral blood (PB) T-lymphocyte phenotypes in ZAP-70-positive (ZAP-70<^>+) and ZAP-70-negative (ZAP-70<^>-) untreated patients witb CLL. Materials and Methods: ZAP-70<^>-, CD25-, CD3-, CD4-, and CD8-positive lymphocytes were enumerated by flow cytometry in PB of 120 untreated CLL patients. CD8+, CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD25+ cells were counted for the non-leukemic lymphocytes. The patients were distributed into two groups: the ZAP-70<^>+ group of high CLL progression (n = 61), and the ZAP-70<^>- group of low CLL progression (n = 59). In the ZAP-70<^>+ group, the ratio CD4/CD8 (0,33 +- 0,62; p = 0,001) and the numbers of the CD3+ (34,8 +- 8,1 %; p = 0,01), CD3+CD4+ (24,4 % +- 4,8; p = 0,001), and CD3+CD25+ (6,2 +- 0,91 %; p = 0,001) lymphocytes were reduced and the percentage of the CD8+ cells (73,1 +- 4,6 %; p = 0,0001) was above the norm. In the ZAP-70<^>- group, the number of the CD3+CD4+ cells (36,9 +- 6,1 %; p = 0,001) was witbin the norm, but the numbers of the CD8+ (11,3 +- 1,1 %; p = 0,0001) and CD3+ (41,2 +- 5,3 %; p = 0,05) lymphocytes were reduced; the ratio CD4/CD8 (3,26 +- 0,88; p = 0,001) and the percentage of the CD3+CD25+cells (27,1 +- 3,4 %; p = 0,0001) were above tbe norm. Conclusions: our data show that the increased CD4/CD8 ratio, caused by tbe reduced number of the CD8+ lymphocytes, and the increased numher of CD3+CD25+ cells are characteristic for the ZAP-70<^>- group (slow progressing) of untreated CLL, patients. In ZAP-70<^>+ patients, the CD4/CD8 ratio was significantly below the norm indicating an active disease process. Results of study contribute to identification of CLL patients with different prognosis in routine diagnostic/prognostic procedures.

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