Interrelationship of immunologic characteristics, proliferation pattern,
and prednisone sensitivity in acute lymphoblastic leukemia of childhood
JA Bakkeren, GA de Vaan and HF Hillen
In children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) the effect of
prednisone therapy on the cell-cycle phase distribution of leukemic bone
marrow cells was determined with pulse cytophotometry at the time of
diagnosis. Also, the interrelationship with the presence of the sheep
erythrocyte receptor as a marker for T cells was investigated. In 17 or 21
patients prednisone treatment caused a decrease in the percentage of cells
in the S+G2+M phases. In 11 of 12 adult patients with ALL the same result
was obtained. In a group of 31 children with ALL, 6 cases of T-cell ALL
occurred in combination with intermediate or high WBC counts. The 3
patients with the highest E-rosetting percentages had rather high
proportions of bone marrow cells in the S+G2+M phases. No correlation could
be established between the WBC count or the E-rosetting percentage and the
chance for complete remission.
Volume 53,
Issue 5,
pp. 883-891,
05/01/1979
Copyright © 1979 by The American Society of Hematology
