Prognostic significance of agar and liquid cultures in AML patients before treatment, early postinduction and in remission

Abstract In the present study, the growth and differentiation capacity of myeloid leukemic cells in agar and liquid cultures have been investigated in relation to their prognostic significance for treatment outcome and early detection of relapse. Prior to induction therapy, leukemic cells failed to differentiate and the colony or cluster number did not correlate with response to treatment. Seventeen to 42 days after induction, patients with BM cells producing >10 colonies or >30 clusters resp. had a high likelihood of achieving a complete remission. Cells from refractory patients had a significantly impaired differentiation capacity. During remission, a colony number >50 was significantly associated with a high probability to remain in further remission for >3 months. An impaired differentiation was significantly associated with the likelihood of relapsing within 3 months. In the light of these results, agar and liquid cultures appear to be useful for monitoring the effect of induction chemotherapy and detecting patients likely to relapse.