Prognostic criteria and staging in ALL in childhood

On the basis of a retrospective review of 100 children with acute non-myeloid leukaemia the authors examined the effect on the prognosis of some initial features such as age, nodal and organ enlargement, initial white blood cell count, blast morphology and cytochemical characteristics, and platelet count. A remarkable correlation was found between age at diagnosis, initial white blood cell count and platelet count, and total survival and duration of remission. There was no significant correlation between PAS score and prognosis. The beta-glucoronidase reaction did not prove a useful index of prognosis. Adverse prognostic factors were an age below 2 or one above 10 years, a high initial white blood cell count and a low platelet count. The usefulness of attempts at staging in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in childhood are discussed together with the predictive value of some features present at disgnosis.