Relevance of ultrastructural immunocytochemistry in the characterization of unclassifiable leukemias: correlation with phenotypic and genic studies.

Nine cases of acute leukemia presenting unusual phenotype were studied by light microscopy (LM) cytochemistry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) immunocytochemistry with the immunogold staining (IGS) method; in addition, cytogenetic and molecular analyses were performed. The presence of myeloperoxidase (MPO) was studied at TEM in combination with immunophenotype to identify minor populations not characterizable at LM. Four of nine cases had no TEM/MPO reactivity, whereas the remaining five showed variable percentages of positive cells. Of the MPO negative cases, one was a megakaryoblastic leukemia with a positive platelet peroxidase (PPO) reaction, and three were lymphoid. Among the peroxidase positive cases, the percentage of MPO reactive cells was higher at TEM than at LM examination. In case 5 TEM analysis indicated that cells with some MPO reactivity at LM were non neoplastic myeloid cells. With this combined technique in cases 1 and 2 we excluded the presence of the MPO enzyme in CD15 positive lymphoid cells and, in another case, we documented the existence of CD19/MPO positive cells. The value of cytochemistry and immunology at the ultrastructural level for the characterization of blast cells and for the precise diagnosis of leukemia with "unusual" phenotype is illustrated.