Sister chromatid exchange and cell cycle in peripheral lymphocytes in patients with acute leukemia
Hou, Y.H.; Li, X.R.; Li, D.G.; Zhang, A.
Chinese Medical Journal 98(8): 598-602
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0366-6999 PMID: 3937688 Document Number: 251711
Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequencies and cell cycle of peripheral blood lymphocytes in 49 cases of acute leukemia (36 cases of acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL), 13 cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)) and 11 normal controls were studied. Increase of SCE frequencies was found in patients prior to treatment, and in those who were not in remission or those who were in relapse. For those who had attained their first complete remission within 6 months the SCE rate had decreased to a certain degree but did not return to the normal level. In 2 long-term survivors of acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) of 9.5 and 4 years, whose treatment had been discontinued for more than 1 year, the SCE frequencies were all within the normal limits. In cases of preleukemia the SCE frequencies were high. This finding may be of significance as a parameter for the disease process, diagnosis, therapeutic effect and prognosis. Our observations indicated that the prolongation of cell cycle corresponds to the elevation of SCE and supports the hypothesis that the cell kinetics of leukemic cells of peripheral lymphocyte is similar to the cells in the bone marrow. After remission, the cell cycle may rturn to normal, reflecting the relationship between therapeutic effect and cell proliferation. The increase of SCE frequencies and the prolongation of cell cycle were more obvious in ALL than in ANLL, probably due to the increase of T-cell division of ALL under phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation.