Detection of Residual Leukemic Cells in AML

Abstract

Sixty to seventy percent of adult patients with newly diagnosed AML can achieve a complete remission (CR) through intensive chemotherapy [1–6]. However, the majority of these patients will suffer relapse within 2 years. With the exception of age, secondary leukemias, and a small group of cytogenetically defined AML, no universelly accepted prognostic marker has been identified which would allow early treatment stratification. Thus AML treatment is highly uniform, consisting of intensive induction chemotherapy, followed by consolidating postremission therapy with or without bone marrow transplantation. The “gold standard” for the diagnosis of AML and therapy monitoring is the light microscopic evaluation of cytology and cytochemistry. Its sensitivity for the detection of residual leukemic cells is 5%.