Ns. Kislyak et al., RETROSPECTIVE EVALUATION OF BLOOD IMMUNOL OGY IN THE COURSE OF REMISSION OF ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC-LEUKEMIA IN CHILDREN, Gematologia i transfuziologia, 41(2), 1996, pp. 7-10
The authors investigated cellular and humoral immunity in 53 children
over 3 years of age suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The c
hildren had remission lasting from 6 to 120 months and were followed u
p for 7-14 years after the diagnosis was made. The treatment was perfo
rmed according to programs of polychemotherapy practiced in 1981-1988.
In November of 1995 42 children were alive, 15 had the disease for 10
years. Lymphocytopenia (absolute number of T-cells and B-cells fell 3
-5 and 2-3-fold, respectively) was reported in all the examinees both
in early remission and rater (6-12, 24-60, 60 and more months since th
e disease onset). In early remission there was a significant reduction
in the serum IgG, IgA and IgM. In children with ALL lethal outcome se
rum IgM and absolute number of E-RFCa dropped in early remission more
significantly indicating deep drug-induced depression of lymphocytopoi
esis. After 5 years of treatment the pool of peripheral T-lymphocytes
and T/B lymphocyte proportion changed for the best, though their absol
ute number was subnormal. Serum IgG, IgA and circulating immune comple
xes were 1.3-1.5 times higher than normal which may be explained by ga
strointestinal pathology and food allergy in the majority of children
treated.