title: Correlative patterns of neutrophil and platelet counts during very early remission of acute myeloblastic leukemia.
abstract: Patterns of recovery for peripheral blood neutrophils and platelets were analyzed in 65 patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) undergoing their first course of induction chemotherapy. Specifically, for every patient linear correlation coefficients (r values) were computed for neutrophils versus platelet counts every three days from Day 12 to 27 of therapy. Correlations were designated as "significant" if r greater than or equal to 0.82 (p less than or equal to 0.05). Patients who would enter complete remission with the first course of therapy were significantly more likely to have significant neutrophil-platelet correlations in the recovery phase than patients who did not achieve remission with the first course or who would have resistant disease (76% versus 20% and 76% versus 15%, respectively, both p less than 0.001). Although these data are preliminary and retrospective they nonetheless demonstrate a trend that may prove useful for patient monitoring if proven correct by formal studies. A prospective investigation examining neutrophil and platelet correlations within a defined period of early hematologic recovery is indicated to assess if such parameters have early prognostic value for the prediction of remission in individual patients receiving induction therapy for AML.
mesh_terms: D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D007958:Leukocyte Count / Q000187:drug effects*; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000473:pathology*; D010976:Platelet Count / Q000187:drug effects*; D011379:Prognosis; D012074:Remission Induction