Detection of minimal residual disease in acute myeloid leukemia.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a curable malignancy, but its cure rate remains disappointingly low. Accurate quantitation of residual AML cells would allow individualization of therapy and thereby increase the likelihood of cure for each patient. Techniques that are being studied for residual disease detection include molecular assays for abnormalities that are present in subsets of AML patients, and multiparameter flow cytometry, which has broader applicability. Although significant advances have been made in the development of assays for monitoring residual disease, and particularly in techniques for molecular quantitation, additional refinement and validation are needed before these assays can be applied routinely in clinical management.
Baer
Maria R
MR
Leukemia Section, Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA. maria.baer@roswellpark.org
D000208:Acute Disease; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006801:Humans; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014178:Translocation, Genetic