Abstract
The extent of leukemic marrow (BM) involvement in children with ALL is often unrelated to the degree of anemia. This serial study was carried out to correlate marrow CFU-E with stages of disease. BMs from 35 normal children served as controls. In 29 ALL patients 64 cultures were done; 14 newly diagnosed and untreated; 32 in remission; 18 in relapse. BM cells were cultured with and without erythropoletin (EPO) and included EPO dose response curve. CFU-E at diagnosis was significantly lower than controls, and despite complete remission, values did not reach the normal range. The mean value of cultures obtained during remission (166 ± 47 S.E./106 nucleated cells) was markedly higher than the newly diagnosed (17 ± 8 S.E.) or relapse patients (25 ± 13 S.E., p<0.005) but significantly lower than normals (326 ± 44 S.E., p<0.01). An inverse correlation was found between CFU-E levels and % blasts. Also CFU-E did not appear to have predictive value in regard to impending relapse. The data indicate that the leukemic process in ALL involves the pluripotent stem cells and results in decreased numbers of early progenitors capable of differentiation to the erythrocytic series. Although achievement of morphological remission improves the flow rate to this pathway, unlike reported studies of granulocytic colonies in culture. It does not result in complete restoration of a normal erythroid pattern.
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Tebbi, K., Gross, S. ERYTHROPOIETIC COLONY FORMING UNITS (CFU-E) IN CHILDREN WITH ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA (ALL). Pediatr Res 11, 482 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197704000-00673
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197704000-00673