1. The Acute Erythroleukemias
- Author
-
Harold R. Schumacher, Fermina M. Mazzella, Carmelita Alvares, and Areta Kowal-Vern
- Subjects
Oncology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Proliferative index ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Biochemistry (medical) ,Clinical Biochemistry ,medicine.disease ,Cytogenetic Aberrations ,Flow cytometry ,Leukemia ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Internal medicine ,Myeloblast ,medicine ,Immunohistochemistry ,Acute erythroleukemia ,business ,Multipotential stem cell - Abstract
Acute erythroleukemia is an aggressive leukemia derived from a multipotential stem cell. Three subtypes have been described: (1) M6a with greater than or equal to 30% blasts of the nonerythrocytic component, (2) M6b with greater than or equal to 30% pronormoblasts of the erythrocytic elements, and (3) M6c with greater than or equal to 30% blasts and greater than or equal to 30% pronormoblasts by the aforementioned exclusion criteria. The poor prognosis associated with this disorder positively correlates with a high pronormoblast:myeloblast ratio; unfavorable cytogenetic aberrations; a high proliferative index; and the presence of P-glycoprotein expression (multidrug resistance phenotype). Chemotherapeutic regimens directed toward these specific parameters should be devised in order to improve the characteristically poor outcome of this patient population.
- Published
- 2000