Clonal identification in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

In a case of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, two distinct types of leukemia blast cells could be identified throughout the course of the disease. The initially dominant type of blast cell was sensitive to chemotherapy; the other was drug-resistant, gradually becoming dominant as the disease progressed. The cell types could be clearly separated by their morphologic and surface membrane marker characteristics. The same chromosomal constitution was present in both types of blast cells, indicating a common clonal origin. Additional chromosomal abnormalities were present in the later stages of the disease, demonstrating that a distinct subclone had proliferated. This study illustrates that in some cases of acute leukemia, disease relapse is caused by growth of drug-resistant subclones that may be clearly identified by changes in morphology and surface membrane marker characteristics.