Immunophenotypic findings in acute myeloid leukemia with FLT3 internal tandem duplication.

Abstract

A high frequency of changes in the phenotype and/or genotype pattern between diagnosis and relapse was detected (5/6). FLT3/ITD is a frequent molecular lesion in de novo adult AML and seems to be associated with a monocytic differentiation, a high leukocyte count and a poor prognosis. Immunophenotype and genotype patterns observed at relapse suggest that the FLT3/ITD(+) blasts may be genetically unstable and prone to clonal evolution. FLT3/ITD may not be a suitable target for minimal residual disease studies.