Chromosome abnormalities, clinical and morphological manifestations in metamorphosis of chronic myeloid leukemia.

Seventeen cases of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in metamorphosis have been investigated by cytogenetic methods. Six patients were studied in slow transformation and others in the terminal blastic phase of the disease. Of these, 3 cases were myeloid, 3 myelomonocytic, 1 megakaryoblastic, 1 promyelocytic and 4 lymphoid in their morphological and cytochemical appearance. Some correlation could be observed between the clinical, morphological, cytochemical and cytogenetic findings of the different subgroups. The results demonstrate the importance of chomosome investigations in the early diagnosis of metamorphosis and in distinguishing the different subgroups of the terminal stage of CML.