[Clinical morphology of chronic myeloid leukemia]

The morphological features of chronic myeloid leukemia at different stages of the disease were specified basing on the study of bone marrow punch biopsies of 239 patients, surgically removed spleens of 32 patients, marginal liver biopsies of 22 patients and 69 autopsies. It was found valid to distinguish two histological variants: granulocytic and granulocytic-megakaryocytic. It was shown that in the latter form of leukemia myelofibrosis, primarily of reticulin type, often tends to develop. The granulocytic-megakaryocytic variant and the diffuse myelofibrosis were found to be related to the morphological manifestations of unfavourable prognosis of chronic myeloid leukemia. The accumulation of blast cells in the central parts of bone marrow cavities, as revealed in the punch biopsies is the indication of the beginning of the blast transformation.