Adult ; China ; Humans ; Leukemia, Lymphoid ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Prognosis

OBJECTIVETo report a case of blastic natural killer cell leukemia with an aggressive clinical course.

METHODSThe characteristics of blastic NK cell leukemia and its treatment were discussed with review of literatures.

RESULTSAfter combination chemotherapy and spinal cord segmental radiotherapy, the patient entered hematological remission, but the extramedullary lesion remained unchanged.

CONCLUSIONBlastic NK cell leukemia has an aggressive clinical course with poor response to treatment and unfavorable prognosis.

Adult ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Humans ; Killer Cells, Natural ; pathology ; Leukemia, Lymphoid ; pathology ; therapy ; Leukemic Infiltration ; Male

PURPOSE: To determine the effects of hand massage on nausea and vomiting, and anxiety in children with lymphocytic leukemia receiving high dose chemotherapy. METHOD: The children were assigned to an experimental group(15) or a control group(15). All of the children were diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia and admitted for high dose chemotherapy at C University Medical Center in Seoul. The hand massage was performed for 10 minutes twice a day over three days. To measure the effects of hand massage, the Index of Nausea and Vomiting by Rhodes et al. and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for children by Spielberger were used. The level of anxiety was measured by systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and pulse rate. RESULTS: The score for nausea and vomiting decreased in the experimental group. State anxiety for the experimental group was significantly more positive than for the control group at the 2nd measurement. There was a significant difference in systolic blood pressure between the two groups. The level of diastolic blood pressure in the two groups decreased significantly over time. CONCLUSION: Hand massage could be effective in decreasing nausea and vomiting, state anxiety, pulse rate and blood pressure in children with acute leukemia receiving high dose chemotherapy.
Academic Medical Centers ; Anxiety* ; Blood Pressure ; Child ; Drug Therapy* ; Hand* ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Leukemia* ; Leukemia, Lymphoid ; Massage* ; Nausea* ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; Seoul ; Vomiting* ; Child Health

During the neutropenic phase, leukemia patients receiving chemotherapy are prone to bacterial and, fungal infections; occasionally mycobacterial, viral and protozoal organisms may also cause infections. Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection was reported very rarely in these patients. This report describes four patients with M. tuberculosis infection identified from 185 adult patients who were diagnosed myelogenous leukemia between January 2003, and December 2004. There was no patient with M. tuberculosis infection from 44 lymphoid leukemia and 11 acute biphenotypic leukemia patients. Sites of infection were all lymph nodes. Three among four patients were presented with lymphadenopathy at initial diagnosis of leukemia, and the other one presented with lymphadenopathy after induction chemotherapy. There was no patient presented with lymphadenopathy during the neutropenic phase. Tuberculous lymphadenitis was presented in a patient with three acute myelogenous leukemia (FAB class 2 M4, 1 M2) and a chronic myelogenous leukemia, accelerated phase. An acute myelogenous leukemia patient had a leukemic cell and tubercle bacilli in the same lymph node. Tuberculosis should also be included as a differential diagnosis in myelogenous leukemia patient with lymphadenopathy, especially in the countries in which the disease is endemic.
Adult ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Induction Chemotherapy ; Leukemia ; Leukemia, Biphenotypic, Acute ; Leukemia, Lymphoid ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive ; Leukemia, Myeloid* ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Lymph Node*

During the neutropenic phase, leukemia patients receiving chemotherapy are prone to bacterial and, fungal infections; occasionally mycobacterial, viral and protozoal organisms may also cause infections. Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection was reported very rarely in these patients. This report describes four patients with M. tuberculosis infection identified from 185 adult patients who were diagnosed myelogenous leukemia between January 2003, and December 2004. There was no patient with M. tuberculosis infection from 44 lymphoid leukemia and 11 acute biphenotypic leukemia patients. Sites of infection were all lymph nodes. Three among four patients were presented with lymphadenopathy at initial diagnosis of leukemia, and the other one presented with lymphadenopathy after induction chemotherapy. There was no patient presented with lymphadenopathy during the neutropenic phase. Tuberculous lymphadenitis was presented in a patient with three acute myelogenous leukemia (FAB class 2 M4, 1 M2) and a chronic myelogenous leukemia, accelerated phase. An acute myelogenous leukemia patient had a leukemic cell and tubercle bacilli in the same lymph node. Tuberculosis should also be included as a differential diagnosis in myelogenous leukemia patient with lymphadenopathy, especially in the countries in which the disease is endemic.
Adult ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Induction Chemotherapy ; Leukemia ; Leukemia, Biphenotypic, Acute ; Leukemia, Lymphoid ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive ; Leukemia, Myeloid* ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Lymph Node*

B-Lymphocytes ; Child ; Humans ; Male ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid ; pathology

OBJECT: Pre-ALL is a very rare preteukemic state, which percedes acute lymphocytic leukemia, while MDS(pre-ANLL), usually the well-known type of preleukemic state, precedes acute non-lymphocytic leukemia. Initially it shows transient pancytopenia without any evidence of leukemia in bone marrow findings, followed by acute lymphocytic leukemia after recovery from pancytopenia of a short period within weeks or months. We report a case with pre-ALL in childhood. CASE: A 15-month-old male baby was admitted with the complaints of fever and cough for 5 days and pallor for 2 weeks prior to admission. On admission, CBC showed pancytopenia without any evidence of leukemia, which was recovered spontaneously in a short period, and then was followed by acute lymphocytic leukemia of CALLA negative, early pre-B cell type. During antileukemic chemotherapy, he had suffered from severe bacterial infections and was finally died of sepsis 8 months after first admission. CONCLUSION: We report a case of pre-ALL in childhood, which was preceded by CALLA negative, early pre-B cell ALL, with a review of the literatures, briefly.
Bacterial Infections ; Bone Marrow ; Cough ; Drug Therapy ; Fever ; Humans ; Infant ; Leukemia ; Male ; Pallor ; Pancytopenia ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma* ; Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid ; Sepsis

To investigate the therapeutic effects and associated complications of allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (allo-PBSCT). 40 patients with various malignant hematopoietic diseases received allo-PBSCT. The preparative regimens were based on BUCY2 or modified BUCY2. The acute graft-versus host disease (aGVHD) was prevented by cyclosporin A and short-term MTX regimen in all patients. Two patients from donors with one fully mismatched HLA on DRB1 locus and 4 from unrelated donor also administered Zenapox (CD25 MAb) at dosage of 1 mg/kg every day on the day before transplantation and day 4 after transplantation. These 6 patients were also treated with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). Transfusion of the donor cells: The median of the transfused nucleated cells was 5.38 x 10(8)/kg and that of the CD34+ cells was 7.8 x 10(6)/kg respectively. All the patients gained hematopoietic reconstruction except one who died of infection before engraftment. Seven patients got II degrees-IV degrees aGVHI) and the incidence was 17.5%. Fourteen patients got cGVHD and the incidence was 53.8% in the patients who survived over 6 months. Twenty-eight patients had fever or other characteristics of infection. The median follow-up time was 13.8 months. The incidence of transplantation related mortality (TRM) was 17.5% and 2 patients relapsed (5.0%). It was concluded that allo-PBSCT can reconstruct hematopoiesis quickly and is a favorable therapeutic method for leukemia.
China/epidemiology ; Cyclosporine/*therapeutic use ; Follow-Up Studies ; Graft vs Host Disease/*prevention & control ; Leukemia/*therapy ; Leukemia, Lymphoid/therapy ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/therapy ; *Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects ; Sepsis/epidemiology ; Sepsis/etiology

OBJECTIVETo improve the treatment outcome of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a modified induction chemotherapy between the two protocols used to treat children with ALL in Shanghai Children's Medical Center.

METHODSFrom Jan. 1st, 1999 to Mar. 1st, 2006, 311 patients with newly diagnosed childhood ALL, who underwent induction chemotherapy for over 10 days, were eligible for analysis. Group 99 (n = 243) patients who were admitted before May 1st, 2005, were treated with ALL-XH-99 Protocol, whereas 68 patients admitted afterwards, defined as Group 05, were treated with ALL Protocol 2005 which was based on ALL-XH-99 Protocol but the treatment intensity was reduced to decrease treatment associated mortality. Clinically, the distributions of the initial data from the patients, treatment responses, complete remission rates after therapy, and treatment-associated infections in the two groups were evaluated.

RESULTSPatients from the two groups obtained similar complete remission rate (91.8% vs. 95.6%, P = 0.29), while patients from Group 05 were benefited more from their therapy. They had lower therapy associated infection rate (23.5% vs. 54.7% in Group 99, P < 0.01), and no severe infection (0 vs. 9.1% in Group 99) and no infection related death occurred (0 vs. 3.7% in Group 99). Patients in the Group 05 also had shortened period from the beginning day of the initial therapy to complete remission (32.34 +/- 3.36 days vs. 34.18 +/- 4.96 days, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSALL Protocol 2005 had the same efficacy as ALL-XH-99 Protocol had in the induction therapy in treating children with ALL, but it was safer than ALL-XH-99.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Leukemia, Lymphoid ; drug therapy ; Male ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; drug therapy ; mortality ; therapy ; Remission Induction ; methods ; Treatment Outcome

Intracranial chloroma may occur in leukemia, although they are rare. A 23-year-old female complained diplopia. Brain magnetic resonance MR imaging showed tumors in the both cavernous sinus , both tentorial and anterior falx. Gamma-Knife radiosurgery was performed with maximal dose; 20Gy, marginal dose; 10Gy. Peripheral blood smear revealed leukemia, and bone marrow aspiration biopsy showed acute lymphocytic leukemia. Two weeks later, MR image for the stereotactic biopsy noticed markedly decreased tumor size. Biopsy result was lymphocytic leukemia. She received conventional radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and bone marrow transplantation. Brain involvement by acute lymphocytic leukemia is very rare. Even though chloroma are sensitive to radiation therapy, prognosis is poor because of the gravity of the underlying disease and association with impending blast transformation. The authors reports a intracranial chloroma by acute lymphocytic leukemia.
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Needle ; Bone Marrow ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Brain ; Cavernous Sinus ; Diplopia ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Gravitation ; Humans ; Leukemia ; Leukemia, Lymphoid* ; Lymphocyte Activation ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; Prognosis ; Radiosurgery ; Sarcoma, Myeloid ; Young Adult