MICM is composed of the initials of four words: Morphology, Immunology, Cytogenetics, and Molecular biology.
The MICM typing of acute leukemia is a typing diagnosis of leukemia based on the morphology (M), immunology (I), cytogenetics (C), and molecular biology (M) of the leukemia cells.
- Morphology (M): i.e., FAB typing (M0 to M7, L1 to L3).
- Immunology (I): identifies abnormal immune phenotypes.
- Cytogenetics (C): identifies leukemia-associated chromosomal abnormalities.
- Molecular biology (M): identifies leukemia-associated fusion genes or gene mutations.
The MICM diagnostic criteria compensate to a considerable extent for FAB typing. In addition to clarifying the origin of leukemic cells, a well-defined MICM diagnosis can help determine patient prognosis and guide treatment.