Comparison of currently available monoclonal antibodies with conventional markers for phenotyping of one hundred acute leukemias.

One hundred acute leukemia cell samples (89 ALL, 11 AMML) derived from children's bone marrow at diagnosis were typed for the reaction with 15 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Subdivision in ALL-subgroups was performed according to conventional markers. Only some mAbs like VIL-Al which is directed against the cALL-antigen, can substitute polyclonal rabbit antisera. Additional subclassifications became evident by the use of mAbs for T-cell differentiated ALL forms. However, unexpected negative reactions must be taken into account as observed for all T-directed mAbs with individual T-cell ALL samples.