BONE INVOLVEMENT IN CHILDHOOD ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC-LEUKEMIA

This retrospective study evaluated the prognostic significance of the radiological signs of bony involvement in children with acute lymphobl astic leukaemia (ALL), The skeletal surveys of 52 children with ALL we re reviewed for evidence of leukaemic involvement, Radiolucent metaphy seal bands, osteolytic lesions and periosteal reaction were considered signs of leukaemic changes, Twenty eight children had evidence of ske letal involvement of whom 14 had changes at three or snore areas, Know n risk factors such as age < 2 years and > 10 years, mediastinal lymph adenopathy, splenomegaly greater than or equal to 5cm below the costal margin, a white cell count of greater than or equal to 20x10(9)/l and leukaemic blast cells in the cerebrospinal fluid at diagnosis occurre d with equal frequency in children with and without skeletal changes a s well as those children with signs of involvement at greater than or equal to 3 sites. Event free survival (Kaplan Meier analysis) also did not differ in these three categories of children, We concluded that b one involvement in childhood ALL is not associated with other risk fac tors and does not predict outcome per se.