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Proliferative kinetics of central nervous system (CNS) leukemia
Author(s) -
HueiMei Kuo Amy,
Yataganas Xenophon,
Galicich Joseph H.,
Fried Jerrold,
Clarkson Bayard D.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(197507)36:1<232::aid-cncr2820360126>3.0.co;2-f
Subject(s) - medicine , leukemia , acute myeloblastic leukemia , ommaya reservoir , cytarabine , cerebrospinal fluid , thymidine , methotrexate , in vivo , central nervous system , pathology , mitotic index , immunology , chemotherapy , cancer research , in vitro , mitosis , biology , biochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology
Abstract The proliferative kinetics of the leukemic cells in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were studied in three adults with CNS leukemia. Two (G.H. and A.K.) had lymphoblastic leukemia and developed CNS leukemia after 18 and 8 months while receiving an intensive treatment regimen. One (J.L.) had acute myeloblastic leukemia and developed CNS disease after 5 years' treatment with arabinosylcytosine and 6‐thioguanine. All were in marrow remission at the time of study. G.H. had had no therapy for CNS disease, A.K. had had intrathecal methotrexate 2 months previously, and J.L. had recently completed radiotherapy (1900 R) to the head. An Ommaya reservoir was placed in a lateral ventricle and 3 H‐thymidine was injected into the reservoir every 12 hours for 10 days; samples of cells were obtained by lumbar puncture periodically for autoradiography. In all patients the flash 3 H‐thymidine labeling index (LI) of the leukemic cells was < 2% (determined in vitro) and the mitotic index < 0.1%. After 10 days of 3 H‐thymidine injections in vivo, the LIs of the leukemic cells were 55%, 36%, and 21% in G.H., A.K., and J.L., respectively. These findings indicate that leukemic cells may proliferate very slowly in the CNS, and stress the difficulty of eradicating CNS leukemia with chemotherapeutic agents which are only active against proliferating cells.