[Glucocorticoid receptors and response to polychemotherapy in acute lymphatic leukemia]

Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) levels were quantified in leukemic blasts from peripheral blood of 86 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The subsequent achievement of complete remission after combination chemotherapy was correlated with high receptor levels. Forty-seven of 50 patients with leukemic cells containing more than 6,000 receptor sites and 22 of 36 patients with cells containing less than 6,000 receptor sites achieved remission. The study of glucocorticoid receptors in leukemic cells may predict response to combination chemotherapy in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.