Cell lineage assignment of cytogenetic findings in acute lymphoblastic leukemia using combined immunomagnetic cell separation and chromosome preparation.

In acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) abnormal karyotypes frequently constitute a minor part of the dividing cells, and the origin of metaphases in normal diploid cases remains obscure. We used a combination of immunomagnetic cell separation and chromosome preparation (ICSCP) to focus on the metaphases of interest and to assign the chromosome findings to CD19+ or CD7+ leukemia cells.