Leukemia is a very heterogeneous malignancy that has been traditionally classified according to its clinical course: acute and chronic, or smoldering. Based on cytomorphology, leukemias are lymphatic or myeloid according to their lineage commitment. At present, this classification has become utterly inadequate for correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment. The gradual introduction of molecular biological techniques has lead to the identification of subdivisions; diagnostic comparability and adapted therapeutic regimes have improved disease outcome and made possible the detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) after therapy that allows earlier preclinical recognition and prevention of relapses.
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