Table 1.

Advantages and disadvantages of methods used to detect MRD in AML.

Method	Sensitivity	Advantages	Disadvantages	References
Flow cytometry FC-LAIP (Leukemia-Associated Immunophenotypes)	10−3 to 10−5	Sensitivity Applicability to >90% of patients Rapid turnaround time Available technique through laboratories Can distinguish between live and dead cells	Experienced staff needed for proper interpretation Need for standardization Stability of the leukemic phenotype missing Diagnostic pretreatment sample needed Extended antibody panel needed Sensitivity depends on the antibody used	Brooimans 2019 [12] Maurer-Granofszky 2021 [13] [Wood 2016] [14]
Flow cytometry FC-DfN (Different from Normal)	10−3 to 10−5	Sensitivity Applicability to >90% of patients Diagnostic sample not required Phenotypic shifts do not affect the results Rapid turn-around time Can distinguish between live and dead cells	Need for standardization Experienced staff needed to operate the process, subjectivity in the definition of population Sensitivity depends on the antibody used	Schuurhuis 2018 [9] Maurer-Granofszky 2021 [13] Wood 2020 [15]
−19NGS	10−3 to 10−5	Limited applicability Easy to be conducted High sensitivity, theoretically to 10−6, depending on the NGS platform	Need for standardization Mutations can be identified in healthy populations (not necessarily linked with disease) Sample contamination Sensitivity is affected by error rate Clonal evolution (if based on allelic ratios)	Ngai 2021 [2] Dix 2020 [7]
RT-qPCR	10−3 to 10−5	High sensitivity (≥MFC) Quality assurance integration Applicability Standardization	Time-consuming Need for expertise Threshold limit settings required Expensive Sensitivity is affected as well by the expression level of the target per cell Molecular targets applicable to only ~50% of all AML patients (less in elderly)	Ngai 2021 [2] Wood 2016 [14]