Cytogenetic Follow-up Study of Acute Non-lymphocytic Leukaemia

Abstract

A cytogenetic study was made at diagnosis in 68 patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia. The median survival time of the group of patients was 47 wk. Patients with totally abnormal karyotypes in the bone marrow had a median survival of 14 wk, whereas for those with only chromosomally normal cells the median survival was 52 wk, and 47 wk for those with normal and abnormal cells. Survival was not influenced by the presence or absence of clonal abnormalities. A cytogenetic follow-up study was made on 41 of these patients. One of the 3 patients, still in first remission after 3 yr, originally had an 8;21 translocation. In general, the abnormalities present at diagnosis disappeared during remission and there was no evidence that clones of abnormal cells were produced by treatment. The chromosomal findings in relapse were not necessarily the same as those at diagnosis and the abnormal karyotypes found were usually not clonal in type. A simple kinetic technique, in which the yield of mitoses after 2 and 24 h is compared, may be used as an adjunct to cytogenetic studies in predicting relapse.