Morphologic Study of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia-FAB Classification and its Relationship with Age and Leukocyte Count in 257 Childhood and 57 Adult Cases.

Abstract

Morphology of blast cells was studied in 314 patients of acute Lymphoblastic leukemia, they included 257 children«=15 years) and 57 adults (> 15 years). L1, L2 and L3 morphology was seen in 191 (60.8%), 118 (37.6%) and 5 (1.6%) of childhood cases and in 32 (56%), 24 (42%) and 1(1.76%) of the adult cases respectively. In childhood ALL the prognostic ally unfavorable age group of 10-15 years was associated with a higher proportion of L2 cases (50.9%) than the prognostic ally favorable age group of 1-9.99 years (32.8%), the difference being statistically significant p=0.021.Among adults also, L2 morphology was more-frequent (75%) in the prognostically unfavorable age group above 35 years than in younger patients (37.5%). Frequency of FAB types at various levels of total leukocyte count was determined. L2 was seen in 28.7% of patients with TLC below 4x10 9/L, in 43.7% with TLC 4-50x109/L and in 38.2% in the high risk group with TLC above 50x109 /L, showing no increase in the frequency of L2 ALL in this group.