Advance in study of leukemia stem cells

Myeloid leukemias are clonal disorders originating from a primitive multipotential hematopoietic cell and characterized by aberrant proliferation, differentiation and maturation of leukemic progenitors and precursor cells. Studies have identified sub-populations of leukemic cells possessing different functional capabilities. Hypothesis hold that the heterogeneity is mainly due to leukemia stem cells (LSC). Data from the past decade implied that LSC has impact on the care of myeloid leukemias. The history of LSCs and the more recent data of the origin, immunophenotype, frequency and self-renew ability of LSCs are reviewed. Key words: Leukemia; Immunophenotyping; Stem cells