Circulating Megakaryocytes in Peripheral Blood: A Clue to Satisfactory Platelet Recovery Post Induction Chemotherapy in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Thrombocytopenia is a common hematological abnormality in newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) which may be linked to the degree of marrow infiltration by leukemic blasts as well as altered cytokine milieu in a subset of AMLs. We report the presence of circulating megakaryocytes in peripheral blood as a sign of satisfactory platelet recovery post induction chemotherapy in a pediatric subject with a favourable risk WHO category I AML with synchronous extramedullary myeloid cell tumor; and present a brief review of literature on the role of platelet recovery in AML prognosis.