Detection of minimal residual disease in acute myeloid leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a curable malignancy, but its cure rate remains disappointingly low. Accurate quantitation of residual AML cells would allow individualization of therapy and thereby increase the likelihood of cure for each patient. Techniques that are being studied for residual disease detection include molecular assays for abnormalities that are present in subsets of AML patients, and multiparameter flow cytometry, which has broader applicability. Although significant advances have been made in the development of assays for monitoring residual disease, and particularly in techniques for molecular quantitation, additional refinement and validation are needed before these assays can be applied routinely in clinical management.