RATIONALE: Studying samples of bone marrow from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors identify and learn more about biomarkers related to cancer.

PURPOSE: This research trial studies bone marrow samples from women with acute myeloid leukemia.

OBJECTIVES:

• Estimate the proportion of acute myeloid leukemia (AMLs) that originate in CD33+ precursors or in which uncontrolled growth is limited to CD33+ precursors.
• Explore whether there is an association between the cellular origin of AML (i.e., origination in CD33+ precursors or not) and cytogenetic, molecular, and other patient characteristics.
• Explore whether overall survival (OS), event-free survival (EFS), disease-free survival (DFS), response rate (RR), or relapse rate is improved for patients with AMLs that originate in CD33+ precursors or in which uncontrolled growth is limited to CD33+ precursors compared to patients with clonally involved cells not detected.

OUTLINE: Archived bone marrow samples are analyzed for CD33+ progenitors, X-chromosome inactivation, and somatic mutations (t(8;21), inv(16), FLT3/ITD, NPM1, CEBPA, KIT) by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, long-term culture in hypoxic condition in cytokine-containing liquid media, and flow cytometry. Results are then compared with each patient clinical data.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnostic bone marrow specimens from female patients with untreated AML undergoing intensive ("3+7"-like) induction chemotherapy
• Specimens from the South Western Oncology Group (SWOG) protocols S0106 (age 18 to 60 years), excluding patients who received gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO), and S9333 (age > 60 years)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• See Disease Characteristics

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics

Repository specimens