New Detection Method Aids Leukemia Patients

Researchers have reported a study in which a new detection method was used within the first four weeks of initial diagnosis of acute lymphoblast leukemia (ALL) in children to identify those who were at high risk for relapse, allowing doctors the opportunity to alter therapy accordingly and prevent the relapse.

The researchers also found that the quality of remission for ALL patients after first relapse was lower than the quality of remission after initial chemotherapy, making it all the more necessary to identify the risk of relapse before it happens. The study, involving 890 children with leukemia, was published in Clinical Cancer Research (2000;6[8]:3123-3130).

ALL children who relapse have leukemic cells stranded in their bodies. To detect these cells, the researchers used a new method that permits the detection of a single leukemic cell among one million normal cells. This method is multiparameter flow cytometry (FACS Vantage from Becton Dickinson). The study was conducted by researchers at the Parker Hughes Institute (St. Paul, MN, USA), a nonprofit research organization.


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