Minimal residual disease by flow cytometry in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Background. Flow cytometry (FCM) is a technique that allows multiparametric analysis of cell populations, and is essential in biomedical research and as a diagnostic tool. This fast technique has a high sensitivity, evaluating characteristics in the population of interest such as the size, granularity, and complexity of the cell cytoplasm and proteins that allow the phenotypic and functional classification of a large number of cells. For these reasons, this technique has gained importance in the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases and hematological abnormalities, such as leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, and myeloproliferative syndromes, among others. Objective. This review focuses on advances in the implementation of CMF in Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) present in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), which is a minimal leukemic population that is detected in a patient after supplying an oncological treatment, where its efficacy, the risk of relapse and the complete remission process are evaluated. Methodology. A non-systematic literature review is carried out in databases, from the last 15 years, where the implications of the use of flow cytometry in EMR are evaluated, and relevant aspects are extracted from this review when using the CMF for the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with leukemia. Results. CMF is a very versatile and important technique for the diagnosis and monitoring of EMR due to
its high sensitivity for the detection of low numbers of cells resistant to therapy. Additionally, the importance of standardizing protocols such as EUROFLOW for proper processing and clinical analysis of patient samples is shown.
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