Variation of Proliferative Activity in Leukemic Cell Populations of Patients with Acute Leukemia

E. F. Saunders; B. C. Lampkin; A. M. Mauer

doi:10.1172/JCI105628

Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, The Children's Hospital, and The Children's Hospital Research Foundation, Cincinnati, Ohio

†

Supported by The Leukemia Society, Inc.

Address requests for reprints to Dr. E. F. Saunders, The Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229.

‡

Advanced Clinical Fellow of the American Cancer Society, Inc.

Recipient of a Research Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health.

Submitted for publication March 8, 1967; accepted April 28, 1967.

Supported by grants CA 04826 and FR 00123 from the U. S. Public Health Service.

Abstracted in J. clin. Invest. 1967, 46, 1113.

Find articles by Saunders, E. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, The Children's Hospital, and The Children's Hospital Research Foundation, Cincinnati, Ohio

†

Supported by The Leukemia Society, Inc.

Address requests for reprints to Dr. E. F. Saunders, The Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229.

‡

Advanced Clinical Fellow of the American Cancer Society, Inc.

Recipient of a Research Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health.

Submitted for publication March 8, 1967; accepted April 28, 1967.

Supported by grants CA 04826 and FR 00123 from the U. S. Public Health Service.

Abstracted in J. clin. Invest. 1967, 46, 1113.

Find articles by Lampkin, B. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, The Children's Hospital, and The Children's Hospital Research Foundation, Cincinnati, Ohio

†

Supported by The Leukemia Society, Inc.

Address requests for reprints to Dr. E. F. Saunders, The Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229.

‡

Advanced Clinical Fellow of the American Cancer Society, Inc.

Recipient of a Research Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health.

Submitted for publication March 8, 1967; accepted April 28, 1967.

Supported by grants CA 04826 and FR 00123 from the U. S. Public Health Service.

Abstracted in J. clin. Invest. 1967, 46, 1113.

Find articles by Mauer, A. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

In 31 children with acute leukemia, the proliferative activity of the leukemic marrow cell population as measured by mitotic and labeling indexes varied widely from patient to patient and from one disease stage to another. Leukemic marrow had a small but statistically significant diurnal variation of proliferative activity. Changes in labeling indexes were directly related to changes in the proportion of large dividing blasts in the marrow. Generation times of dividing leukemic blast cells in 3 patients were similar at diagnosis and in relapse. Changes in proliferative activity of leukemic marrow can be explained by progressive accumulation of nondividing leukemic cells.