OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognosis value of average daily platelet amount increase in children with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia(B-ALL) treated by CCCG-ALL-2015 regimen. METHODS: 106 children with primary B-ALL were retrospective analyzed, standardized MRD test protocol was used to detect the MRD level (19 d and 46 d) after chemotherapy. The platelet count was measured by Sysmex XE-2100. Kaplan-Meier survival curve statistics was used to analyze the event free survival(EFS) rate of the children. RESULTS: The trend of negative correlation existed between PPC and TPR (r_s=-0.519, P=0.021). The 3-year EFS rate of the patients in Ap>5.4×10⁹/L group was 95.7%, which was significantly higher than those in Ap≤5.4×10⁹/L group(79.5%) (χ²=5.236, P=0.035); multivariate analysis showed that Ap≤5.4×10⁹/L was the independent prognostic factor affecting survival of the patients (RR=3.978; 95%CI: 1.336-11.523, P=0.041). With both MRD and Ap≤5.4×10⁹/L as candidate variables, Ap≤5.4×10⁹/L lost its independent prognostic value (RR=1.225; 95%CI: 0.892-13.696, P=0.089), the correlation between d 19/d 46 MRD levels and Ap>5.4×10⁹/L (χ²=4.318, P=0.038) could explain the phenomenon. CONCLUSION Ap can reflect the effect of B-ALL chemotherapy and can be used to monitor the curative effect and prognosis of B-ALL children.
Blood Platelets ; Burkitt Lymphoma ; Child ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Neoplasm, Residual/diagnosis* ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/drug therapy* ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is uncommon lymphoid malignancy in dogs, and its diagnosis is challenging. A 14-year-old spayed female mixed breed dog was transferred to a veterinary medical teaching hospital for an immediate blood transfusion. The dog showed lethargy, pale mucous membranes, and a weak femoral pulse. Complete blood count revealed non-regenerative anemia and severe leukopenia with thrombocytopenia. ALL was tentatively diagnosed based on the predominance of immature lymphoblasts on blood film examination. For confirmation of lymphoid malignancy, PCR for antigen receptor rearrangement (PARR) on a peripheral blood sample and flow cytometry analysis were performed after blood transfusion. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that lymphocyte subsets were of normal composition, but PARR detected a T-cell malignancy. The dog was diagnosed with ALL and survived 1 wk after diagnosis. In conclusion, after blood transfusion, flow cytometry was not a reliable diagnostic method for an ALL dog, whereas PARR could detect lymphoid malignancy. Our results suggest that PARR should be the first-line diagnostic tool to detect canine lymphoid malignancy after a blood transfusion.
Adolescent ; Anemia ; Animals ; Blood Cell Count ; Blood Transfusion* ; Diagnosis* ; Dogs* ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Lethargy ; Leukopenia ; Lymphocyte Subsets ; Methods ; Mucous Membrane ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma* ; Receptors, Antigen* ; T-Lymphocytes ; Thrombocytopenia

We describe our experience regarding metronidazole-induced encephalopathy in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia during chemotherapy. A 17-year-old girl was admitted to our institution with complaints of abdominal pain and mucoid stools. She was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and had been undergoing intensified chemotherapy protocol. During the fifth week of interim maintenance-1 therapy, she developed a fever and complained of chills. On stool examination, stool occult blood was positive and Clostridium difficile toxin A/B test was positive. She was started on metronidazole treatment for possible Clostridium difficile infection and other inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases. Ten days later, the patient complained of dizziness and nausea. A brain MRI was performed to make a differential diagnosis of any chemotherapy- induced CNS complication such as necrotizing leukoencephalopathy. The brain MRI showed features of metronidazole-induced encephalopathy. Metronidazole was discontinued and symptoms started to subside four days after. A follow-up brain MRI performed at four weeks showed that lesions of the dentate nucleus had disappeared.
Abdominal Pain ; Adolescent ; Brain ; Brain Diseases ; Cerebellar Nuclei ; Chills ; Clostridium difficile ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Dizziness ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Fever ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrointestinal Diseases ; Humans ; Leukoencephalopathies ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Metronidazole ; Nausea ; Occult Blood ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma

BACKGROUND: Although the overall survival of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) approaches 85-90%, the prognosis of relapsed or refractory (R/R) ALL is grave. This study aimed to identify the treatment pattern, treatment response, and overall survival of these patients.METHODS: We reviewed data of 64 patients with R/R ALL whose initial diagnosis of ALL had been made between 1 and 21 years of age. Patients who received clofarabine as part of an induction regimen were excluded. Relapsed patients were limited to those who relapsed after ≥2 prior induction regimens. Treatment patterns, response rates, and overall survival were analyzed.RESULTS: Patients' median age was 15.0 years (range, 6.0-25.0) at the diagnosis of R/R ALL. The most frequently used agents other than steroid were vincristine (54.0%), cytarabine (44.6%), and idarubicin (36.5%), while L-asparaginase was used in only one patient. The complete remission (CR) and overall response (OR) rates were 38.1 and 42.9%, respectively. Sixteen patients (25.4%) underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The 5-year overall survival was 6.7%. The survival of patients with HSCT was significantly higher compared with those without HSCT (35.2% vs 0%, P=0.0097). Among 14 patients who achieved CR or CR without platelet recovery (CRp) before HSCT, the 3-year survival was 46.9%.CONCLUSION: The survival of Korean patients with R/R childhood ALL was dismal despite a reasonable CR rate, whereas that of those who received HSCT after CR or CRp was excellent. More treatment options are needed to improve the overall outcome of R/R childhood ALL.
Blood Platelets ; Cytarabine ; Diagnosis ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Idarubicin ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Vincristine

Severe hypercalcemia in children is a rare medical emergency. We present a case of a 15-year-old boy with hypercalcemia (total calcium level, 14.2 mg/dL) with a normal complete blood count, no circulating blasts in the peripheral blood film, and no other signs of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), including no signs of lymphadenopathy or hepatosplenomegaly. The hypercalcemia was successfully treated with zoledronic acid. As hypercalcemia can be the only presenting symptom of ALL in children, the diagnosis is often delayed. In children presenting with hypercalcemia, malignancies must be considered in the differential diagnosis.
Adolescent* ; Blood Cell Count ; Calcium ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia* ; Leukemia ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Male* ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma*

Severe hypercalcemia in children is a rare medical emergency. We present a case of a 15-year-old boy with hypercalcemia (total calcium level, 14.2 mg/dL) with a normal complete blood count, no circulating blasts in the peripheral blood film, and no other signs of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), including no signs of lymphadenopathy or hepatosplenomegaly. The hypercalcemia was successfully treated with zoledronic acid. As hypercalcemia can be the only presenting symptom of ALL in children, the diagnosis is often delayed. In children presenting with hypercalcemia, malignancies must be considered in the differential diagnosis.
Adolescent* ; Blood Cell Count ; Calcium ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia* ; Leukemia ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Male* ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma*

An Australian cattle dog (case 1: 6-year-old castrated male) and a Shih-Tzu dog (case 2: 8-year-old castrated male) were referred to the Gyeongsang Animal Medical Center due to anorexia and depression. Physical examinations, complete blood counts, serum chemical analysis, radiography, ultrasonography, and bone marrow biopsy were performed. Upon physical examinations of cases 1 and 2, enlargement of superficial lymph nodes was not identified. Hematologic findings in these dogs included leukocytosis with severe lymphocytosis, anemia, and thrombocytopenia. Upon radiography, both dogs showed splenomegaly. Upon examination of a peripheral blood smear in case 1, immature lymphoid cells, featuring decreased nuclear chromatin condensation and nuclear pleomorphism, were present. Biopsy samples of the bone marrow in case 1 revealed hypercellularity as well as a large number of immature lymphoblastic cells similar in shape to cells in the peripheral blood. The characteristic morphological features of peripheral blood and bone marrow samples in case 2 were small lymphocytes. Thus, the dogs were tentatively diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), respectively. After diagnosis, the CLL patient was administered chlorambucil and prednisolone therapy. Due to its similarity to human leukemia, the canine leukemia model provides a valuable model for research into human leukemia.
Anemia ; Animals ; Anorexia ; Biopsy ; Blood Cell Count ; Bone Marrow ; Cattle ; Child ; Chlorambucil ; Chromatin ; Depression ; Diagnosis ; Dogs* ; Humans ; Leukemia ; Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell* ; Leukocytosis ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphocytes ; Lymphocytosis ; Lymphoma ; Physical Examination ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma* ; Prednisolone ; Radiography ; Splenomegaly ; Thrombocytopenia ; Ultrasonography

The cytokines of acute leukemia (AL) patients have certain expression patterns, forming a complex network involved in diagnosis, progression, and prognosis. We collected the serum of different AL patients before and after complete remission (CR) for detection of cytokines by using an antibody chip. The expression patterns of cytokines were determined by using bioinformatics computational analysis. The results showed that there were significant differences in the cytokine expression patterns between AL patients and normal controls, as well as between acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In confirmatory test, ELISA revealed the expression of uPAR in AL. Moreover, the bioinformatic analysis showed that the differentially expressed cytokines among the AL groups were involved in different biological behaviors and were closely related with the development of the disease. It was concluded that the cytokine expression pattern of AL patients is significantly different from that of healthy volunteers. Also, differences of cytokine expression patterns exist between AML and ALL, and between before and after CR in the same subtype of AL, which holds important clinical significance for revealing disease progression.
Cytokines ; biosynthesis ; blood ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; blood ; Microarray Analysis ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; blood ; Prognosis ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; blood

This study was aimed to explore whether hyperglycemia during chemotherapy influences the prognosis of children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). The clinical medical records of all newly diagnosed patients with ALL at SUN Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital from June 2008 to May 2012 were analyzed retrospectively. The median time of follow-up for patients was 2.6 years (range 0.08 to 4.9 years). Patients were divided to hyperglycemia and euglycemia groups according to their blood glucose concentrations during chemotherapy which contains L-asp and dexamethasone. The variables between two groups were compared using χ(2) test, the RFS and OS among two groups were compared by use of Kaplan-Meier and Cox-proportional hazard analyses. The results showed that the hyperglycemia correlated with older age (43.33% vs 19.23%, P = 0.008) and high-risk disease at diagnosis (26.62% vs 4.76%, P = 0.017) , but did not associate with sex (P = 0.059). Patients with hyperglycemia had worse OS (94.2 ± 2.9% vs 83.1 ± 6.3%, P = 0.014) and more poor RFS (64.1 ± 8.9% vs 88.6 ± 3.8%, P < 0.001) at 5 years than their counterpart. It is concluded that the incidence rate of hyperglycemia during chemotherapy correlated with older age and high-risk disease in ALL children, and the patients with hyperglycemia during chemotherapy may have poorer prognosis.
Adolescent ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; chemically induced ; Infant ; Male ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; blood ; diagnosis ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

The purpose of this study was to detect the serum PTK7 level of patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia, and to reveal its clinical value for diagnosis of diseases. A total of 136 patients diagnosed as acute lymphocytic leukemia from May 2012 to April 2014 in our hospital were enroled in this study and were divided into the L1 group (n = 42), L2 (n = 45) and L3 group (n = 49) according cytomorphology, and 48 normal children were selected as control group. Fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect mRNA level of PTK7 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and Western blot was used to detect PTK7 protein expression. The results showed that the PTK7 mRNA level in L1 group was significantly higher than that in normal group (P = 0.000) . The PTK7 mRNA level in L2 group was significantly higher than that in the L1 group (P = 0.000). The PTK7 mRNA level in L3 group and L2 group had not significantly different between each other (P = 0.123). Serum PTK7 protein level in L1 group was very significantly higher than that in normal group (P = 0.000) . The serum PTK7 protein level in L2 group were very significantly higher than that in the L1 group (P = 0.003) and serum PTK7 protein level in L3 and L2 group had no significance difference (P = 0.312) . It is concluded that the expression level of serum PTK7 protein has a potential clinical value for the diagnosis of acute lymphocytic leukemia, but without specificity for ALL subsets.
Cell Adhesion Molecules ; blood ; genetics ; Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; metabolism ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; blood ; diagnosis ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; blood ; genetics ; Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; blood ; genetics