MORPHOLOGY AND CYTOGENETICS IN ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA - FOCUS ON MYELODYSPLASIA RELATED CHANGES

leukemia (AML). The aim of our study was to establish correlations between morphology, cytogenetics, and other biological aspe cts at diagnosis. We focused our attention on the group with myelodysplasia related changes (MRC), especially due to the fact that classification based on multilineage dysplasia is a disputed matter. Analysis was done on bone marrow samples from patients with acute myeloid leukemia, by microscopy on May Gruenwald Giemsa stained smears and by conventional cytogenetic methods. Statistical analy sis was done with the Graph Pad Prism program. Morphological changes specific for t(15;17) and inv(16) were present in our patients. The MRC group differed from AML-NOS (not otherwise specified) by leukocyte count (WBC) and blast percentage, but not by age, hemoglobin or platelet number. The WBC and blast percentage have always been recognized as prognostic factors, even if not always as independe nt prognostic factors. This means that our observations regarding the correlations of these parameters with MRC cannot be neglected. Even if quantification of dysplasia h as a high degree of subjectivism, it seems that classification according o these criteri a is still necessary, because this group has some particular characteristics and other wise, as long as we do not have other clasification means, to many cases would rema in in the AML-NOS category.