Lack of prognostic significance of the pretreatment labeling and mitotic indices of marrow blasts in acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL).

Abstract

The prognostic significance of the pretreatment growth characteristics of marrow blasts was examined in 37 patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) treated with a similar therapeutic regimen. Initial mitotic index (MI) and in vitro 3H-thymidine labeling index (LI) were broadly distributed showing no correlation to other initial variables, such as age or absolute blast count. No relationship whatsoever was observed between the pretreatment LI, MI and either the likelihood of achieving a complete remission or the remission and survival length. We conclude that the initial growth characteristics of marrow blasts do not play a significant role in predicting the therapeutic response in ANLL; age, modality of therapy and, possibly, the dynamic perturbations of the proliferative activity of the blast cells induced by treatment should be regarded as more reliable prognostic indicators in ANLL.