New concepts on the acute leukaemias: morphology, classification, cell biology, chemotherapy, supportive care, immunotherapy and bone marrow transplantation.
The advances in chemotherapy, understanding of leukaemia cell biology and supportive care for acute leukaemia patients offer substantial prospect for cure in the future. Intensive treatment of acute leukaemia requires the resources of specialised unites for support of bone marrow failure. Where possible, patients should be referred to such units for diagnostic classification and intensive remission induction therapy. The understanding of leukaemia cell biology and the detection of colony stimulating activity in normal granulocytes and marrow has helped in predicting early relapses in leukaemia patients. Allogeneic sibling bone marrow transplantation for patients in remission offers a 70% chance of 3 years survival and disease-free state compared to 10% survival for the non-grafted patients treated on maintenance chemotherapy alone. Current evidence suggests that such transplanted patients do not require long term chemotherapy or anti-G.V.H. treated now that the problem of graft-versus-host disease in transplant recipients appears to be overcome by the use of Cyclosporin A.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007938:Leukemia / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents