Cytogenetic abnormalities in adult non-promyelocytic acute myeloid leukemia: a concise review

Abstract

Cytogenetic abnormalities are found in 50-60% of newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) of adult patients. Cytogenetic analysis of bone marrow leukemic cells is an important pre-treatment evaluation for a correct prognostic stratification of patients, that permit to separate AML patients in three broad prognostic categories: high, intermediate and low risk. The determination of cytogenetic features of AML remains a corner stone in predicting outcome although today its use needs to be integrated by molecular and immunophenotypic data, particularly in cytogenetically normal (CN) group of patients. In this review we perform a concise description of more recurrent cytogenetic aberrations found in AML, theirs correlations with biological and clinical data and theirs strong impact with outcome of patients, useful for therapeutic decision.