title: Clinical importance of lymphoblasts with T markers in childhood acute leukemia.
abstract: Of 48 children with acute lymphocytic leukemia 11 had blast cells with receptors for sheep erythrocytes in their initial bone-marrow aspirates and 37 did not. A comparison of selected clinical features indicated striking differences between the two groups. Leukemia with the receptors was associated with a high proportion of older children, predominantly boys, a thymic mass, and a high white-cell count at diagnosis. In contrast, the 37 children with leukemia without the receptors were generally less than five years of age, with a nearly equal distribution of boys and girls; all but one had normal chest roentgenograms, and only one had a white-cell count greater than 100,000. Thus, the presence or absence of lymphoblasts with sheep erythrocyte receptors--a T-cell marker--distinguishes two forms of childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia, each with a distinct distribution of age and sex as well as other characteristic clinical features.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001666:Binding Sites, Antibody; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007104:Immune Adherence Reaction; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000032:analysis; D007223:Infant; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D012737:Sex Factors; D012756:Sheep / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
chemical_list: D007136:Immunoglobulins