title: Cerebrospinal fluid neopterin levels in children with central nervous system leukemia.
abstract: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neopterin levels were determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography in 48 normal children and in 15 children with meningeal relapse of hematologic malignancies (13 acute lymphoblastic leukemia and 2 high-grade lymphomas). When meningeal relapse was diagnosed, all patients had CSF neopterin levels higher than mean normal value +2 standard deviations. No significant correlation between the blast count in the CSF and neopterin levels was observed. CSF data before relapse were available in 10 children: the neopterin values at relapse were significantly higher than values observed at diagnosis. In 3 patients, elevated neopterin levels preceded the occurrence of neurologic signs and the detection of blast cells in CSF by 15 to 30 days. In the absence of infection, the rise of CSF neopterin levels in patients with hematologic malignancies indicates an active phase of the disease. This could reflect a cell-mediated immunologic process induced by malignant cells. The measurement of CSF neopterin should be helpful in the monitoring of patients to detect early meningeal relapse.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Hématologie Clinique, CHU Poitiers, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Millot
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Dhondt
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mazingue
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mechinaud
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Auget
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bauters
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Harousseau
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D001708:Biopterins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology; D002556:Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007223:Infant; D017254:Leukemic Infiltration; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000276:immunology; D008578:Meninges / Q000473:pathology*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D019798:Neopterin; D010586:Phagocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002556:Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D001708:Biopterins; D019798:Neopterin