T. Révész

The adverse effect of prolonged prednisolone pretreatment in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Between 1971 and 1981, 699 children were diagnosed to have acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in Hungary. 34 of these children had received prednisolone therapy prior to the establishment of the diagnosis. The most frequent presumptive diagnoses that prompted steroid treatment were aplastic conditions and arthritic disorders. Leukemia was diagnosed when the presenting symptoms reappeared usually several weeks after the initiation of steroid therapy and often following withdrawal of the drug. Initial leukemic burden, as judged by leukocyte count and hepatosplenomegaly, was smaller in these patients than in other children with leukemia at the time of diagnosis. Although they entered remission at the same rate as the other patients, the length of continuous complete remission was significantly shorter in the prednisolone pretreated group. It appears that prolonged prednisolone therapy given before remission induction imparts a distinct unfavorable prognosis.

THE ASSOCIATION OF HLA‐DR5 ANTIGEN WITH LONGER SURVIVAL IN CHILDHOOD LEUKAEMIA

belonged to blood-group 0, women 48% and men 36%, respectively. Although this difference was significant (x’= 12.66), no attention was paid to that. When summarizing data of Mustacchi et a1 with our results the high frequency of blood-group 0 in women with AL is very conspicuous. The possible genetically determined connection between blood-groups and susceptibility to AL might be a good explanation for the high frequency of group 0. Changes in blood-group characteristics of patients with AL in the course ofdisease are well known but it cannot be used for explaining sex differences in blood-group distribution.

Hypophysenfunktion und Wachstum bei Kindern unter Leukämiebehandlung

Der Effekt von Rontgenbestrahlungen des Schadels mit Dosen von 2400 und 4800 rad auf die Hypophysenfunktion von Kindern mit akuter lymphoblastischer Leukamie wurde untersucht. Der STH-Spiegel im Plasma nach Arginin-Stimulation war bei diesen Kindern im Alter von 13 bis 15 Jahren normal, ebenso der TSH-Anstieg nach TRH-Stimulation und das Ergebnis des Metopiron-Tests. Schlieslich war das Wachstum von 40 solchen Kindern wahrend einer Beobachtungszeit von 3 oder mehr Jahren regelrecht.