title: Automated reticulocyte response is a good predictor of bone-marrow recovery in pediatric malignancies.
abstract: The authors attempted to establish the benefits of flow cytometry-based reticulocyte analysis over absolute neutrophil count (ANC) recovery. Serial hemograms of 18 pediatric cases of hematologic malignancies were analyzed until day 35 of chemotherapy. Immature reticulocyte fraction (IRF) showed early recovery in 44.4% of cases compared to ANC. Since reticulocyte fractions are not influenced by infections, they are a better parameter of bone marrow regeneration than ANC. The study shows that IRF can act as a harbinger of regenerating bone marrow activity in patients with persistent neutropenia and guide the modulation of antibiotic strategies in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Reena
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: Ajay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rawal
authors.forename: Gurjeewan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Garewal
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Marwaha
authors.forename: Harpreet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vohra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D009503:Neutropenia; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000166:cytology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012038:Regeneration; D012156:Reticulocytes / Q000166:cytology*