The study of T-, B-, O- lymphocytes in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

The T-, B-, and O-lymphocyte count changes were studied during the long-term intensive therapy of 43 ALL children. The control group consisted of 17 healthy children. The T-lymphocytes were identified by spontaneous formation of rosettes with sheep erythrocytes, the B-lymphocytes by EAC-rosette test. Patients were treated according to different program of multiple drug therapy and prophylactic cranial irradiation. During the study the applied therapeutic protocol produced the marked reduction of T- and B- lymphocytes. The decrease of B- lymphocytes was especially pronounced. The preliminary analysis suggests correlation between the reduction of T- and B- lymphocytes and prognosis.