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		Overview of Leukemia
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		Acute Leukemia

In acute myeloid leukemia (AML) without maturation, the malignant blasts vary greatly in shape but are homogeneous in staining quality. The blasts contain nuclear chromatin with a characteristic ground-glass texture, pale punched-out nucleoli, and a modest amount of cytoplasm. Myeloperoxidase cytochemistry and the presence of background dysplastic myeloid cells usually distinguish these primitive cells from lymphoblasts.

By permission of the publisher. From Chang K, Forman S. In Atlas of Clinical Hematology. Edited by JO Armitage. Philadelphia, Current Medicine, 2004. Available at www.images.md.