Malignant and reactive erythroblasts in erythroleukemia (M6).
A cytogenetic and cytological study of 16 cases of erythroleukemia (M6) is reported. No chromosomal abnormalities were observed in 10 cases. Abnormalities were present in the other 6 cases, of which 4 were complex abnormalities. It was not possible to establish any correlation between the occurrence of morphologic abnormalities of the erythroid and megakaryocyte-platelet series and the presence of cytogenetic defects. Studies of mitoses by cytologic and cytogenetic methods concurrently performed in some cases suggest that two types of erythroleukemia can be distinguished: (1) cases with chromosomal abnormalities and a persistence of erythroblast mitoses in vitro (which suggests that the erythroblasts belong to the leukemic clone) and (2) cases with no chromosome abnormality and a disappearance of erythroblast mitoses after culture, suggesting that the erythroblasts are not members of the leukemic clone.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D025063:Chromosome Disorders; D004900:Erythroblasts / Q000166:cytology*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping; D007938:Leukemia / Q000235:genetics*; D004915:Leukemia, Erythroblastic, Acute / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008938:Mitosis