The histological characterization of ALIP in the myelodysplastic syndromes

Bone marrow biopsies of patients with a myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) may, in the absence of an increased number of blasts in the bone marrow smears, contain small clusters of immature precursors. The presence of these cell nests, previously described as "abnormal localized immature precursors" or ALIP, bears a strong prognostic value predisposing patients to early death with an increased risk to develop myeloid leukaemia. In order to describe and delineate this histological characteristic more precisely, we compared bone biopsies of patients with MDS, used in these previous studies, with bone marrow biopsies performed for staging procedures in patients with Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and carcinoma. From this comparison we conclude that immature precursors are readily differentiated from proerythroblasts, myeloblasts and small-sized megakaryocytes, and that they most probably represent precursors of the myelo-monocytic-erythroid series. A clearcut increase in their number, mostly resulting in the formation of small clusters, is only found in biopsies from patients with MDS.