Structural chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes from children with one to five years of total remission after chemotherapy of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Abstract

Cytogenetic studies were made of 25 children (11 girls and 14 boys) with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia treated successfully with cytostatic agents and a reference group of children matched for age, sex and residence. The cytostatic treatment involved vincristine, prednisone, 1-asparaginase, methotrexate, 6-mercaptopurine for two to three years, and in a few cases cyclophosphamide, daunomycin and cytosine-arabinoside. No irradiation was given. Chromosome breakage and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) were not increased at one to five years after end of therapy. More cells with cytologically stable aberrations (translocations, deletions) were found among the patients, although an unexpected number of aberrant cells was also observed in the reference group.