Clinical, Morphological, and Immunophenotypic Insights into Pediatric Acute Megakaryoblastic Leukemia: A Multifaceted Approach

Background: Despite described in literature for decades, many aspects of acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL) particularly immunophenotypic spectrum remain unclear. Our study of a total of 25 pediatric AMKL cases, present detailed characteristics of AMKL patients, including immunophenotype, morphology and flow cytometric (FCM) properties. Methods: This is a retrospective study of a total 25 AMKL cases, diagnosed on flow cytometry, performed either on nlood or bone marrow aspirate. Patients were categorized into either DS or non-DS AMKL cases. Their demographics, clinical history, morphological and cytogenetic findings were retrieved from online hospital information portal. Immunophenotypic expression of CD markers and flow cytometric properties were analyzed and recorded. Results: The study found that 24% of patients were DS-AMKL, while 76% were non-DS-AMKL. The median WBC count was higher in DS-AMKL patients, and blasts were more likely to express CD7, CD36, CD11b, CD13, and CD33. FCM properties showed a median w/h ratio of 1.45 in DS-AMKL patients and 1.20 in non-DS-AMKL patients. Conclusion: The present findings are a good cohort of pediatric AMKL cases, with in-depth analysis of flow cytometric properties and immunophenotype. No statistical significance was found in the studied categories between DS-AMKL and Non DS-AMKL, which may be due to the fact that DS-AMKL comprised a small subset of the total cases and/or overall, both subtypes share common pathogenetic pathways.