Immunophenotypic differences between diagnosis and relapse in childhood AML: Implications for MRD monitoring

Abstract

An antigenic shift was observed in 88% of cases in this study. The antibody panels used for MRD monitoring in childhood AML should therefore not be restricted to the immunophenotype detected at presentation but should include in particular markers of lineage immaturity. The clinical observation of a shift toward a more immature phenotype of the myeloblasts is consistent with the model of a clonal evolution of a leukemic stem cell.