Prefinal clinical findings and results of autopsy in 82 children with acute lymphatic leuckemia (ALL) under various courses of therapy
Reddemann, H.; Griefahn, B.; Heidecke, G.
Folia Haematologica 103(6): 860-872
1976
ISSN/ISBN: 0323-4347 PMID: 64427 Document Number: 106948
At present 80...90 % of the patients with acute lymphatic leukaemia die in the blastic crisis. About 10% will come ad finem during full remission caused by side effects of the treatment and their complication. The leukaemic terminal crisis may be accompanied or overlapped by a number of complications, the most frequent among own patients being acute bleeding in the terminal phase. First of all the source of bleeding is to be found in the gastro-intestinal tract (80%). Other authors found infections to be the most frequent final cause of death. It is only under autopsy that leukaemic infiltrates, infections and bleeding are completely recognized to their full extent. After polychemo-therapy the patients showed a significant increase of complications including pulmonary oedema and a marked insufficiency of the bone-marrow with leukocytopenia and granulocytopenia in the peripheral blood. Among the biochemical parameters only a generally significant increase of alpha2 and gamma globulins could be found in the serum. A correlation towards a form of therapy could not be ensured.