Monitoring the therapy of acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) in children--changes induced in clinical, cytological and immunological parameters during treatment of high malignancy ALL with ALL-BFM 88.

The ALL-BFM 88 RF greater than 1.7 treatment of high malignancy ALL patients in remission was monitored at the 4th week of Protocol I. The qualitative and quantitative processing of parameters indicating cellular transformations by light and electronmicroscopy was performed in lymphocytes separated from peripheral blood drawn at scheduled times of therapy. The immunophenotype of sample lymphocytes was determined by indirect immunofluorescent techniques, by listing the percentual level of CD2, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD19 surface antigens. The incidence of infections, confirmed clinically and bacteriologically, was recorded. The parameters of the patients were compared to those of healthy children. In the group of patients with high malignancy in the intensive period of ALL-BFM 88 RF greater than 1.7 therapy the incidence of cells rich in organelles, dense granules and vacuoles was significantly (p less than 0.05) higher compared to the control cells, poor in structures. During the weeks of induction and after the consolidating combination with VM-26+ARA-C the expression of surface antigens of the lymphocytes was reduced. That means that up to the introduction of maintenance treatment the presence of surface antigens remained below the range of normal deviation. These data obtained during monitoring revealed that the morphological and functional integrity of cells was damaged in patients with high malignancy ALL during intensive therapy, though only temporarily.