[Quantification of minimal residual disease by multiparameter flow cytometry in acute myeloid leukemia. From diagnosis to prognosis].

Today, multiparameter flow cytometry allows the simultaneous assessment of up to five surface and cytoplasmic antigens in different cell populations from peripheral blood and bone marrow samples. Due to the high efficiency of modern flow cytometers a comprehensive characterization is achieved within a short time. In the setting of diagnosing acute myeloid leukemias (AML) this method is used not only to subclassify AML and separate it from acute lymphoblastic and biphenotypic leukemias but also for the identification of leukemia-associated aberrant immunophenotypes (LAIPs). Since these LAIPs are defined individually for each patient, leukemic bone marrow cells can be detected during the course of treatment using the LAIP allowing the quantification of minimal residual disease (MRD) which is not detectable by cytomorphology. Due to its close correlation with the course of the disease and with the risk of relapse the MRD represents an important prognostic parameter which is increasingly used for stratification of therapy in clinical trials.