title: Chronic granulocytic leukemia: reassessment of morphologic and cytogenetic characteristics in Ph1-positive and Ph1-negative cases.
abstract: 33 cases of chronic granulocytic leukemia (CGL) were reassessed to determine if, by strict morphologic criteria. Philadelphia chromosome (Ph1)-negative CGL exists as a diagnostic entity and if Ph1-positive CGL could be distinguished from Ph1-negative CGL. Cases were reassessed using published criteria and, of 11 Ph1-negative cases, only 4 could be reclassified as myelodysplastic syndromes or undifferentiated chronic myeloproliferative disorder. Of the morphologic parameters evaluated, peripheral blood basophilia and bicytopenia proved to be good discriminators between Ph1-positive and Ph1-negative cases. As a group, Ph1-negative cases were more heterogeneous and tended to have lower hemoglobin, WBC, platelet count and absolute eosinophilia. Chromosomal abnormalities other than Ph1 were seen only in the Ph1-positive cases. Based on these findings, we conclude that Ph1-negative CGL constitutes a heterogeneous group, a subgroup of which is morphologically identical with the Ph1-positive CGL. The parameters that best discriminate between Ph1-positive and Ph1-negative cases are peripheral blood absolute basophilia and bicytopenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI 48072.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crisan
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Mattson
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: al-Saadi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001491:Basophils / Q000473:pathology; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D007970:Leukopenia; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis; D009196:Myeloproliferative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D010677:Philadelphia Chromosome; D013921:Thrombocytopenia