Application o f Monoclonal Antibodies to the Diagnosis and Classification o f Acute Leukem ias

T he classification o f acute leukemias (AL) should reflect as objectively as possible the biology and the clinical features o f the many different disorders presenting as proliferations of hematopoietic precursors or blast cells (Fig. 1). The traditionally used method of classifications divides AL into morphologically distinct subtypes. Over past de­ cades, there have been many advances in the understanding of genetic factors in the biology of these neoplasms, particularly the acute leukemias.