CHRONIC MYELOGENOUS LEUKEMIA

Abstract

Any discussion of the value of irradiation in myelogenous leukemia must be based on a knowledge of the natural course of this disease. The duration of life in untreated cases is not well known; statistics are few, and the following factors make difficult the determination of this point: The disease is comparatively rare, and the literature contains only a few large series of cases; since the development of radiation therapy, untreated cases are rarely encountered; early writers did not clearly distinguish between lymphatic and myelogenous leukemia; in addition, the gradual development of the disease makes it difficult to determine the exact time of onset. The statement is usually made that the course of the disease is from two to four years. In 1924, Minot, Buckman and Isaacs1published a study of 166 cases, including a group of 130 in which the total duration of the disease was known. This