[A study on apoptotic cell death during chemotherapy of patients with acute leukemia].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether apoptosis occurs in vivo in patients with acute leukemia during induction chemotherapy and its significance.


METHODS
Apoptotic effect on peripheral blood of 20 patients with different types of acute leukemia prior to and during routine chemotherapy was studied by cell morphology, DNA electrophoresis and FCM-DNA analysis.


RESULTS
After chemotherapy, with falls in WBC and blast count, no apoptotic cell appeared on smears of peripheral blood, nor did ladder pattern of DNA on electrophoresis and subdiploid peak on FCM.


CONCLUSIONS
Although anticancer drugs have been shown to induce apoptosis in vitro, circulating apoptotic cells are hardly detected probably due to their rapid clearance from the circulation. It is more difficult to study apoptosis in vivo than in vitro.
Institute of Hematology, People's Hospital, Beijing Medical University.
X
X
Ren
H
H
Gao
S
S
Wang
D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D003630:Daunorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D015479:Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
D014212:Tretinoin; D014750:Vincristine; D011241:Prednisone; D003630:Daunorubicin