CHRONIC MYELOID-LEUKEMIA - PHYSICAL AND FUNCTIONAL SIMILARITIES TO ACUTE-LEUKEMIA

Abstract

Blast crisis, closely resembling acute leukemia, is the usual terminal event in chronic myeloid leukemia. Using physical (fingerprint) and cultural (colony forming) methods, distinctive patterns in the stable phase of chronic myeloid leukemia and blast crisis were shown. An unusual fingerprint alteration preceding the onset of the terminal phase was noted, and cell culture perturbation was evident at different stages of the disease. The findings indicate that the application of these methods to the study of hemopoietic disorders is valid, and suggest that the use of such techniques may allow a better understanding of the complex cellular events occurring in the course of [human] chronic myeloid leukemia.