[Glucocorticoid receptors in acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children]

Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) levels were quantitated in leukemic blasts from bone marrow aspirates of 53 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and compared to the clinical and immunological features of the disease and its prognosis. GR levels did not correlate with the patients' sex, peripheral white blood cell count and cellular immunophenotype, but depended on the patients' age and histological type of leukemia. 43 patients were monitored during 3 or more years. The relapse-free and overall survival of ALL patients receiving standard courses of polychemotherapy including glucocorticoids was highly dependent on the GR level in bone marrow blasts. The best prognosis (67% relapse-free and 73% overall 3-years' survival) was observed in patients with GR levels over 6,000 sites/cell and patients with GR levels under 3,000 sites/cell had poor prognosis (31% relapse-free and 50% overall survival; median 1st remission duration 12 months). These correlations were most pronounced in ALL patients with "common" antigen.