[Presence of B cell clones in acute myelomonocytic leukemia]

The coexistence of acute myeloid leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia in the same patient is rare. The majority of the cases correspond to patients that developed acute leukemia during the evolutionary course of a chronic lymphatic leukemia following treatment with chemotherapy drugs. We report a case of acute myelomonocytic leukemia concurrent with untreated B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia in which the use of flow cytometry analysis with a large panel of monoclonal antibodies, allowed the demonstration of different pathological populations and determine immunophenotyping patterns. Published cases of simultaneous chronic lymphocytic leukemia and acute leukemia are reviewed. The use of multiparametric flow cytometry to differentiate the populations demonstrates the utility of this technology in the diagnosis of these hematological malignancies.