Serum lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) levels in acute leukemia: marked
elevations in lymphoblastic leukemia
A Kornberg and A Polliack
Serum total lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were examined in 42 patients
with acute leukemia, 9 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, 6 of them in
blastic crisis, and 53 patients with lymphoma and other lymphoproliferative
disorders. The mean range of serum LDH leveles in Hodgkin's and
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was 402 +/- 210 IU/liter and 313 +/- 113 IU/liter,
while that of patients with nonmalignant disorders was 308 +/- 74 IU/liter.
In acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia (ANLL), the range was 126-684 IU/liter
(mean value 413 +/- 146 IU/liter). In 6 of the patients (11.3%) with
lymphoma and in 6 cases (26.8%) with ANLL, the LDH levels were above 500
IU/liter. None of these patients had levels over 900 IU/liter. Patients
with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) had a range of 402-3582 IU/liter
(mean value of 1669 + 1038 IU/liter). In 15 of the 19 patients (78.9%) with
ALL, serum LDH values were above 900 IU/liter. In addition, 3 patients with
chronic myeloid leukemia (CLM) in blastic crisis had levels of 970-1940
IU/liter. One of these 3 patients had lymphoblastic crisis, while the
second case responded clinically to vincristine and prednisone, but was not
regarded as ALL. The differences in serum LDH levels between ALL and ANLL
are statisticaly significant (p < 0.001). It appears that markedly
elevated serum LDH levels in acute leukemia are suggestive of ALL, and that
in individual patients, the LDH levels were correlated with the number of
blasts during remission and relapse.
Volume 56,
Issue 3,
pp. 351-355,
09/01/1980
Copyright © 1980 by The American Society of Hematology
