The old/middle english term faggot means a bundle of sticks bound together as fuel (faggot is derived the latin term fascis which is also the root for the term fasiculus). Patinets with acute promyelocytic leukemia have cells with bundles of auer rods. These are known as faggot cells and are virtually diagnostic of acute promyelocytic leukemia. faggot cells can be seen in more mature cells following treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia with ATRA. The have rarely been reported in patients with other from of acute myeloid leukemia.
Tag Archives: Auer Rod
Faggot Cells
30 May
Auer Rods
10 Jun
Auer rods are needle shaped azurophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies described by John Auer in 1906. They are 0.1-2μ wide and 3-6μ long and are formed by fusion of lysosomes. They contain peroxidase and lysosomal enzymes. They are seen in acute leukaemia (myeloblastic, promyelocytic, monomyelocytic and monocytic), myelodysplastic syndromes (RAEB-2) and chronic monomyeloid leukemia. Myelodysplastic syndromes, according to the WHO classification are disorders cytopenias and <20% blasts in the bone marrow. Patients with 10-19% blasts are classified as RAEB–2. Documenting Auer rods is important in examination of bone marrow smears of patients suspected to have MDS as a patient is classified as RAEB-2 even with <10% blast if Auer rods are present. Of the Romanovsky stains there are reports of Leishman’s stain being suboptimal for staining for Auer rods. The prognosis of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes worsens with increasing blasts. Patients with Auer rods have a worse prognosis than similar patients without Auer rods (Am J Clin Pathol 124:191; 2005). A lymphoid leukaemia can be excluded in patients with Auer rods.
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Pomalidomide Approved for Refractory Myeloma
Pomalidomide has been accelerated approved by US FDA for multiple myeloma that has progressed on at least two previous therapies including bortezomib and lenalidomide, within 60 days of the last therapy. The approval was based on the multicenter, randomized, open-label study CC-4047-MM-002. The approval is based on response rates. Pomelidomide has not been as yet shown to […]
