Morphological characterisation of adult acute leukaemia in short-term liquid culture.

Peripheral blood leukocytes from 31 out of 48 patients with acute myelogenous leukemia grew in short-term liquid culture. Two distinct types of growth occurred. The first type was dimorphic with supernatant free-floating ("non-sticker") cells and, in addition, a plastic/glass adherent, trypsin resistant, phagocytic population ("stickers"). The second type which occurred less frequently than the first consisted almost entirely of free-floating "non-sticker" cells. Although patients with this second type of growth pattern almost invariably had AML, 44% of AML's produced monocytoid "sticker" cells in culture. Cells from the majority of patients with ALL did not grow in culture.