Related Experiment Videos
Serum & cerebrospinal fluid ferritin levels in children with acute leukaemia
Insights
Serum ferritin levels are significantly elevated in acute leukemia patients and decrease during remission. This suggests serum ferritin is a valuable indicator of disease activity and leukaemic cell mass.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Oncology
Background:
- Ferritin is an iron-storage protein.
- Elevated ferritin levels are associated with various conditions, including malignancies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ferritin levels in patients with acute leukemia.
- To assess the utility of ferritin as a biomarker for disease activity and remission status in acute leukemia.
Main Methods:
- Serum and CSF ferritin levels were measured in 35 acute leukemia patients at admission and upon remission induction.
- Patient values were compared to control groups.
Main Results:
- Serum ferritin was significantly elevated in 94% of acute leukemia patients compared to controls (P < 0.001).
- Successful remission induction led to a significant decrease in serum ferritin levels (P < 0.05).
- CSF ferritin levels were comparable to normal controls and did not correlate with central nervous system (CNS) involvement.
Conclusions:
- Serum ferritin is a sensitive indicator of leukaemic cell mass and disease activity in acute leukemia.
- Serum ferritin levels can aid in assessing remission status.
- CSF ferritin is not a reliable marker for CNS infiltration in acute leukemia.
Abstract:
Serum and CSF ferritin were estimated in 35 consecutive patients of acute leukaemia at the time of admission and on induction of remission. Serum ferritin levels were significantly raised in 94 per cent patients of acute leukaemia. The mean (+/- SD) serum ferritin (314.36 +/- 158.4 micrograms/1) was significantly higher when compared with control values (P less than 0.001). Remission induction resulted in significant fall in serum ferritin values to a mean of 149 (+/- 98.7) micrograms/l (P less than 0.05). Serum ferritin is thus of value in assessing the state of remission and is a sensitive indicator of the leukaemic cell mass and the state of activity of the disease. CSF ferritin levels in acute leukaemia were comparable to normal control values. CSF ferritin did not reflect CNS involvement in acute leukaemia and therefore its value as a tumour marker of CNS infiltration is doubtful.