Masaharu Sakurai

Induction of differentiation of human acute non-lymphocytic leukemia cells in primary culture by inducers of differentiation of human myeloid leukemia cell line HL-60

Leukemia cells from patients with acute non-lymphocytic leukemia were treated with various inducers of differentiation of the human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60. All cells in 14 specimens tested underwent morphological, functional and histochemical changes after treatment with some inducers of differentiation of HL-60 cells, but the most effective inducer varied for different specimens. These results suggest that treatment with some inducers should be effective for inducing most acute myeloid leukemia cells to differentiate into morphologically and functionally mature granulocytes and macrophages.

An analysis of chromosome findings in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas

Banding studies were done on tissues from tumors excised from 22 Japanese patients with non-Hodgkins lymphomas. All tumors were found to be associated with aneuploidy. The chromosome abnormalities were diverse, with each chromosome type being involved in these abnormalities. Terminal deletions, derivative chromosomes as a result of unbalanced or nonreciprocal translocations, and markers of totally or partially unknown origin accounted for the majority of the structural abnormalities. Balanced reciprocal translocations were seen only occasionally. The 14q+, 6q-, partial trisomy of 1q, 11q+, 18q+, and 19q+ abnormalities were seen in more than two patients. The incidence of a missing sex chromosome was significantly higher than that of autosomes, but no particular other karyotypic abnormality seemed to be associated with the event. All six patients whose chromosomes could be totally characterized were in complete remission. Patients with one or more markers of unknown either totally or partially origin, had a median survival of only 8 months (p less than 0.01). Five of the former six patients showed a nodular histology. Fifteen of the latter 16 patients had a diffuse histology, with 13 of the 15 having diffuse histiocytic lymphoma. The median survival of 9.5 months for the 14 with only abnormal metaphases in the lymphatic tissues (AA-group) was shorter than the 26+ months for the seven patients with both normal and abnormal metaphases (AN-group). Thus certain aspects of chromosomal changes appear to correlate with histology and/or prognosis in non-Hodgkins lymphomas.

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) with near-haploidy—A unique subgroup of ALL?

Abstract A near-haploid chromosome constitution, consisting of a haploid set plus an additional chromosome in each of groups #6, #10, #18, #21, and the X, was found in the leukemic cells of a 17-year-old Japanese girl with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Some cells had 56 chromosomes and these were an exact duplication of the chromosome set found in the cells with 28 chromosomes. This finding and two other observations in persons with similar nearhaploid karyotypes seem to have several cytologic and clinical features in common. The disease occurred when all three were young, there was a complete remission with chemotherapy, yet all relapsed after several months. It is very likely that there exists a unique subgroup of ALL with a characteristic hyperhaploid karyotype.

15/17 TRANSLOCATION IN ACUTE PROMYELOCYTIC LEUKÆMIA

be deemed acceptably controlled on the basis of the tabulated data? Patients previously thought to be well controlled on cromoglycate may show no change in symptom frequency when the drug is discontinued or placebo substituted, possibly owing to spontaneous improvement in the disease over a long period.3 these problems may be overcome by comparing cromoglycate with placebo immediately before the trial or incorporating a double placebo period into the trial, neither of which was done in this study. Insufficient evidence is available to decide whether theophylline is as effective as cromoglycate in the prophylaxis of asthmatic symptoms in true cromoglycate responders. The conclusion that cromoglycate was effective in the management of asthma seems to be unfounded.

Chromosomal findings and their correlation to prognosis in acute lymphocytic leukemia

Sixteen of the 17 patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) were revealed to have chromosome abnormalities in their leukemic cells. Of nine children, six had modal chromosome numbers between 50 and 59; these patients and one additional patient with a pseudodiploid karyotype have achieved and retained a complete remission. The only patient without chromosome abnormalities achieved a remission, but had a relapse and died. The only child who expired without achieving a remission had 47 chromosomes in his leukemic cells. Of eight adults, none had the hyperdiploidy seen in the children. The four with hypo-or pseudodiploidy failed to achieve a complete remission. One patient had 47 chromosomes in his leukemic cells, and this patient and the remaining three, all with ploidy abnormalities, achieved a complete remission, but a relapse occurred and they died. The chromosomal abnormalities were very extensive in most cases, many patients having marker chromosomes of an unknown origin. Four patients clearly exhibited karyotypic evolution when they relapsed. The patients with hyperdiploidy had a better prognosis, and those with pseudodiploidy had a poorer prognosis. The role of individual chromosome aberrations, however, remains to be elucidated.

Possible differentiation of human acute myeloblastic leukemia cells by daily and intermittent administration of aclacinomycin-A

A rapid decrease of myeloblasts and a remarkable increase of mature neutrophils, mostly with Pelger anomaly, were observed in the peripheral blood of a 51-year-old woman with terminal acute myeloblastic leukemia during 16 days of daily i.v. administration of 20 mg aclacinomycin-A (ACM-A). When the same dose was administered later on three consecutive days each week, a similar hematore neutrophils, mostly with Pelger anomaly, were observed in the peripheral blood of a 51-year-old woman with terminal acute myeloblastic leukemia during 16 days of daily i.v. administration of 20 mg aclacinomycin-A (ACM-A). When the same dose was administered later on three consecutive days each week, a similar hematore neutrophils, mostly with Pelger anomaly, were observed in the peripheral blood of a 51-year-old woman with terminal acute myeloblastic leukemia during 16 days of daily i.v. administration of 20 mg aclacinomycin-A (ACM-A). When the same dose was administered later on three consecutive days each week, a similar hematological change occurred again. An increase of myeloblasts observed between the third and the fifth week of this intermittent schedule was accompanied by that of mature neutrophils. Thrombopenia and anemia did not improve significantly. These findings may indicate the induction of leukemic myeloblasts by ACM-A into mature neutrophils. Administration of relatively small dose anthracyclines including ACM-A may be another potential choice in the treatment of refractory acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) or ANLL after relapse.

Burkitt's lymphoma with 2 8 translocation: A aase report with special reference to the clinical features

A case of Japanese Burkitts lymphoma (BL) with a t(2; 8) (p11; q24), a variant translocation in BL, is reported. The patient was a 45-year-old woman in whom a subcutaneous right axillary tumor first occurred. Remission was not achieved despite extensive chemotherapy. Of the four nonendemic BL, two endemic BL, and one nonendemic Burkitt-type acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL-L3) cases with a t(2; 8) reported so far, including the present case, four (two nonendemic and two endemic) were positive for Epstein-Barr virus-determined nuclear antigen (EBNA) and two revealed extremely high antibody titers against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the remaining one not having been tested for EBV. Thus, a possible close relationship between the t(2; 8) and EBV infection has to be considered. The t(2; 8) in nonendemic BL seems to occur more often in adults than in children.