Blast counts are lower in the aspirate as compared to trephine biopsy in acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome expressing CD56.

Counting blasts in bone marrow aspirates of CD56-positive AML and MDS may be linked to underestimation, potentially leading to misclassification of these myeloid neoplasms, and should therefore be adjusted considering the results obtained on trephine biopsies for reliable diagnosis.