Study of morphocytochemical and immunophenotypic features of acute leukemia stem cells

The immunophenotypic profile of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) and hematopoietic precursor cells as well as leukemic stem cells (LSC) has been extensively studied in several laboratories worldwide. The results of our studies suggest that the standard panel for classification of acute leukemias should be supplemented with several new markers allowing us to identify more precisely the different forms of the leukemias being of the closely related origin, for example AML M6b and AML M7. The common bipotent LSC in AML M7 of low grade and AML M6b may exist analogous to precursor cell common for megakaryocytopoiesis and erythropoiesis. We have also found the similarity between blast cells in pro-B-ALL [t (4;11), 11q23] and AML M5a [t (9;11), 11q23]. Such similarity of immunophenotype and cytogenetic abnormalities in blast cells in pro-B-ALL and AML M5a may be considered as hint explaining the cases of AML M5a as a recurrence of leukemia in children with originally diagnosed pro-B-ALL.