What's in a Name? The Many Classifications of Acute Myeloid Leukemia with Dysplasia

Acute myeloid leukemia with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC) is a high-risk subtype of AML that has recently undergone significant reclassification. Proper classification requires the integration of clinical history and diagnostic studies including peripheral blood and bone marrow morphology, flow cytometry, cytogenetic and molecular studies. The latter have significant clinical and prognostic implications. We present a case of a 55-year-old male diagnosed with AML-MRC with a pathogenic variant in TP53 and amplification of KMT2A (MLL) without rearrangement. We discuss presentation, importance of diagnostic testing through multiple modalities, and the changes in classification and diagnostic criteria between the 2017 World Health Organization (WHO) revised 4th edition and the WHO 5th edition and International Consensus Classification (ICC).