Loss of leukemic clone’s capacity to differentiate
Blasts greater than 20% in bone marrow or blood
Or - extramedullary or intramedullary clusters of blasts.
Patients develop anemia, thrombocytopenia and blast cells in bone marrow and peripheral blood.
Myeloid blast crisis:
- Commonest type of blast crisis (80%)
- May be myeloblastic or myelomonocytic
- Associated karyotypic evolution
Lymphoid blast crisis:
- less common type of blast crisis (15 - 20%)
