Histologic Criteria for Diagnosis and Classification of Acute Leukemias

Abstract

As a rule, acute leukemias are diagnosed and classified on the basis of Wright or Giemsa-stained blood and bone marrow smears. When a good marrow sample is obtained, histologic study of the tissue sections only rarely contributes to the diagnosis or classification. There are certain circumstances, however, under which histologic study of tissue sections may be essential to the diagnosis of acute leukemia. This is usually the case in the aleukemic patient when the marrow smear is poor in cells and some of these cells appear immature without being readily classifiable, or when a biopsy from an extramedullary lesion precedes a bone marrow study or is taken at a time when clear-cut leukemic changes in the bone marrow are not evident.

Supported, in part, by Grant No. CA-05838, from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health.