Use of monoclonal antibodies as a diagnostic tool in human leukemia. I. Acute myeloid leukemia and acute phase of chronic myeloid leukemia.

Various monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) detecting certain different epitopes on myeloid cells (VIMD5, D5 D6, OKM1, Leu-M3, VIEG4, OKIa 1) have been used in combination with conventional markers (antihuman myeloid hetero-antiserum, FcIgG-receptors, C3d-receptors) to further define the phenotypic heterogeneity of myeloid leukemia. Subsequent leukemic samples from previously untreated patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (51 adults, 24 children) and from nine adult patients in the acute phase of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML-BC) were studied. It was possible to demonstrate quantitative differences in the expression of antigens on the various leukemia subtypes which could be exploited for diagnosis. Furthermore our results revealed that there is a very close correlation between the different surface phenotypes and the types morphologically assessed according to FAB-criteria.