Acute myeloid leukemia: conventional cytogenetics, FISH, and moleculocentric methodologies

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a complex group of hematologic neoplasms characterized by distinctive morphologic, immunophenotypic, and genetic abnormalities. However, it has become evident that genetic aberrations are central to the genesis of AML and have assumed an increasingly relevant role in the classification of AML. Here we discuss hallmark recurrent translocations that define specific World Health Organization (WHO) entities and other frequently encountered genetic aberrations that do not (yet) define specific entities. Additionally, we discuss emerging technologies and their application to the discovery of new abnormalities and to their potential role in the future diagnosis and classification of AML.