FAB leukemia classification

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I'm asking about the FAB classification scheme (M1, M2, M3, L1, L2, etc....)

Will I see this stuff on Step 1? I keep running into it on Qbank. I just missed 2 questions that required memorization of the classification system to get the right answer (this was 2 questions out of an all-random block of 50 -- which incidentally kept me from my highest Qbank score on a 50 question set so far )

When I first saw this FAB deal early in my 2nd year, the Heme/Onc faculty member that was lecturing said there was no need to memorize it.
So should we all be cramming this into our heads along with everything else?

thanks for the advice ahead of time


p.s. - I have come to the realization that QBank should be renamed Minutiae-Bank

according to my Kaplan path lectures you don't need to know the FAB L1-L3

you do have to know the FAB M0-M7
mainly 3, 5, and 7

and of those

DEFINITELY KNOW M3

M3 = important for USMLE.

The rest = dont worry about it. It isnt worth the effort to memorize them.

Originally Posted by JayZee

according to my Kaplan path lectures you don't need to know the FAB L1-L3

you do have to know the FAB M0-M7
mainly 3, 5, and 7

and of those

DEFINITELY KNOW M3

thanks.

The M0-M7 were the ones that I was seeing questions on, and I agree that M3 is probably one of those that should be committed to memory no matter what.

yeah M3's the big one to know, and remember the Auer rods, myeloperoxidase staining, risk of DIC with treatment, and all-trans retinoic acid shiznit

I think its also worth knowing that L3 is Burkitts...

Originally Posted by JayZee

according to my Kaplan path lectures you don't need to know the FAB L1-L3

you do have to know the FAB M0-M7
mainly 3, 5, and 7

and of those

DEFINITELY KNOW M3

Definitely M3

Seriously though, its not that hard to memorize M0-M7. Its pretty much a logical progression in differentiation and lineage. M0-M5 goes from undifferentiated blast to monocyte, M6 is erythroid, M7 is megakaryocyte. As long as you remember M3 is promyelocytic w/ auer rods you can pretty much fill in the rest

Yeah, I just got a Qbank question on "promonocytic leukemia" and its classification...fortunately that was one of the few I remembered...but I'm not sure if that's just a Qbank thing or if it also shows up on boards, sorry.