Some Aspects of the Lymphocytes Kinetics during Treatment of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Abstract

The proliferative capacities of the PHA-stimulated bone marrow and peripheral blood lymphocytes were studied in children with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia by means of BrdU-Hoechst-Giemsa technique. The investigations were carried out at the following times: before treatment; during the first 72 h of the therapy, and after the remission induction. In patients with large amount of blasts, subpopulations of lymphocytes reacting either quickly or slowly could be distinguished. Some of the latter showed the recovery of proliferative capacities during the therapy. The problem whether the entire failure in proliferation of lymphocytes was due to the dilution of lymphocyte population by non-PHA-responsive blasts, due to the proliferation of long-lived leukemic cells or other factors, is discussed.