Abstract
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neopterin concentrations were measured by HPLC in 44 normal children and 15 children affected by meningeal relapse of malignant hemopathy (13 acute lymphoblastic leukemia and 2 high grade lymphoma). When meningeal relapse was diagnosed, all the patients had CSF neopterin levels higher than the mean normal value + 2 SD, but no correlation was observed between CSF neopterin and blast count. In 10 children, CSF data before relapse were available : CSF neopterin at time of initial diagnosis of the hemopathy was 29.4 ± 12 nmol/l (median = 32.8) and 104.2 ± 56 (median = 85.6) when meningeal relapse (p < 0.01, Wilcoxon test). In 3 patients, elevation of CSF neopterin preceded (15 to 30 days) the occurrence of neurological signs or presence of blast cells in CSF. In absence of infectious context, a rise of CSF neopterin is an indicator of cerebral active phase of the malignant hemopathy. Such increase can reflect a cell mediated immunologic process induced by leukemic cells. The measure of CSF neopterin appears helpful in the monitoring of patients with malignant hemopathy to detect early meningeal relapse.
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Millot, F., Dhondt, JL., Mazingue, F. et al. 99 CEREBRAL FLUID NEOPTERIN LEVELS IN CHILDREN WITH MENINGEAL RELAPSE OF MALIGNANT HEMOPATHY. Pediatr Res 30, 644 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199112000-00129
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199112000-00129