Sterelogical analyses of leukaemic cells

With the development of different treatment schedules for acute and chronic leukaemias it has become essential that a uniform, standardized classification of malignant cell type is achieved. Without a standardized diagnosis it is impossible to compare the results of differing treatment regimes. Present diagnosis is still based on clinical criteria and subjective assessment of cell morphology; objective and quantitative data are required. Stereological analyses are capable of providing quantitative data. Stereological techniques have been applied to the study of malignant cell types in different leukaemias for the first time and quantitative data has been obtained. The nuclear and mitochondrial volume fractions of the cells have been estimated for normal lymphocytes, the lymphocytes of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, the abnormal cells of hairy cell leukaemia and several other haematological malignancies. The results clearly indicate that the cell types fo different leukaemias possess measurably different properties and that stereological methods can be used to investigate the leukaemic cell quantitatively.