title: Acute myeloid leukemia with hand-mirror cells.
abstract: A retrospective analysis of 37 cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) seen during five years was undertaken to evaluate the presence in the bone marrow of hand-mirror cells (HMCs). Three cases with greater than 5% HMC were investigated by light and electron microscopy, cytochemistry, levels of terminal-deoxy-nucleotidyl-transferase, study of histologic aspects of bone marrow clot and biopsy specimens, and bone marrow immune complexes for numerous viruses. The findings supported the myeloid nature of the HMC; however, immune complexes associated with the baboon endogenous virus was absent, a finding that has been observed in all cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with HMCs so studied. In light of this finding, it was suggested that HMCs are produced in ALL and AML by different mechanisms. In addition, the patients with AML-HMC did not survive longer than those without HMCs in the bone marrow. Further studies in larger groups are needed to clarify the phenomenon of HMC formation in AML and its relation to survival.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies