Predictive value of bone marrow cultures in 48 patients with acute myeloblastic leukaemia or myelodysplasia both secondary to treatment of other malignant diseases.

The growth pattern of bone marrow cells in agar cultures was studied in 48 patients with acute myeloblastic leukaemia or myelodysplasia, secondary to cytoreductive treatment, and compared to other laboratory findings. At diagnosis the status of the patients was: acute myeloblastic leukaemia (AML) in 9, acute myeloproliferative syndrome (AMS) in 13 and preleukaemic syndrome (PL) in 26 patients. 20 of the 39 patients with AMS and PL developed acute leukaemia, 15 of them within 1 year. 15 died of complications to cytopenia and only 4 are still alive and without leukaemia, observed from 8 to 55 months. Progression to AML was predicted from the agar cultures by increased cluster growth. Among 18 patients with increased cluster growth at diagnosis 14 subsequently developed AML. Among 21 patients with normal or decreased cluster growth at diagnosis 6 patients developed AML, but after conversion of the growth pattern to increased cluster growth. In 2 patients the increased cluster growth disappeared spontaneously and the patients are long-term leukaemia-free survivors. Colony growth pattern, conversely, was not related to leukaemic progression. Only 1 patient had normal growth pattern at diagnosis with respect to both clusters and colonies. Survival was short, with a median of about 7 months, unrelated to growth pattern and leukaemic progression.