Acute myeloid leukemia: the challenge of unfavorable cytogenetics.

Prognostic factors in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) may be subdivided into those related to patient characteristics and general health condition, and those related to characteristics of the tumor.[1] Among the AML-related factors, the karyotype of the leukemic cells is the strongest independent prognostic indicator for response to therapy and for survival, and allows one to stratify patients into three cytogenetic risk groups: favorable, intermediate, and unfavorable.[1-4] The article by Drs. Orozco and Appelbaum gives an informative and systematic overview of biologic characteristics and treatment options for AML with unfavorable cytogenetics, focusing in particular on AML with complex and monosomal karyotypes.