[The importance of studying the acid phosphatase of the blood serum and bone marrow lymphoblasts and polymorphonuclear neutrophils in the prognosis of the course of acute lymphoblastic leukemia].
The activity of serum acid phosphatase (AP), bone marrow lymphoblasts and polymorphonuclear neutrophils was studied in 45 ALL patients. Cytochemical coefficients (CCC) and the percentage of positively reacting bone marrow cells were determined. All the patients received programmed polychemotherapy. They were investigated before the start of therapy, during recurrence and at different time of remission (from 1 to 60 mos) during each reinduction cycle. At the climax of ALL the activity of serum AP was increased 2.8-fold, a CCC value for lymphoblastic AP--10-fold, for polymorphonuclear neutrophils--3-fold as compared with normal values. A tendency toward the reduction of indices was noted at different time of remission, the approximation to normal values was noted on the 40th-46th months of remission only. In recurrence development the level of the serum and cellular enzyme as well as the percentage of positively reacting cells significantly exceeded normal values and were close to indices at the climax of disease. The above tendency permitted the use of these tests to evaluate the completeness of remission and to predict recurrences during a follow-up of ALL patients.