[Degenerative changes in the cerebellum in adult non-lymphoblastic leukemia]

Neuropathological investigations have been performed on 61 patients of both sexes, aged 17-60 years, deceased owing to nonlymphoblastic leukemias. The cerebellar degenerative changes appeared in 51 percent of cases mainly in the grey matter. Distinct rarefaction or atrophy of the cerebellar granular layer and the dentate nuclei were frequent phenomena. The following classification of the cerebellar granular layer damage was used: I degrees - focal rarefaction, II degrees - diffuse distinct rarefaction, III degrees - focal atrophy, IV degrees - diffuse atrophy. The investigations suggest that polychemotherapy is one of the causes of cerebellar degenerative changes, especially atrophy of the granular layer and dentate nuclei, as well as demyelination. In leukemias of short duration more frequently than in the remaining cases lymphocytic perivenous infiltrations appeared in the white matter. It seems to be a consequence of immunopathological reactions between the neoplasm and the nervous tissue in cases with more dynamic course of the disease.