Amoeboid Movement Configuration in Tumour Cells of Bone Marrow Smears from Patients with Leukaemia

Abstract

The incidence of amoeboid movement configuration (AMC), a cell shape suggestive of cell locomotion at the moment of fixation, was studied in the tumor cells of bone marrow smears from leukemia patients at the time of diagnosis. The groups of patients with CML [chronic myeloid leukemia] (n = 8), ALL [acute lymphoblastic leukemia] (n = 5) and CLL [chronic lymphocytic leukemia] (n = 9) were small, and the incidences of AMC were close to those found in the corresponding cell lines from healthy probands. In 39 patients with AML, the incidence of AMC was higher than in the other cell lines investigated. A positive skew distribution of AMC values and a positive significant correlation between incidence of AMC were found at the time of diagnosis and subsequent survival of the patients with AML, in spite of differences in treatment. This positive correlation may be due to an immune reaction of the patients against their tumor cells.