[Significance of PAS-positive myeloblastic leukemia]

We refer to 48 adult patients suffering from acute myeloblastic leukemia, whose leukemic cells showed a typical cytochemical pattern: i.e. weak staining for peroxydase and with sudanblack B and lacking or only weak staining for nonspecific esterase. In 8 patients the leukemic myeloblasts additionally showed distinct granular staining for polysaccharides using the PAS-reaction. The therapeutic response, the remission rate and the survival time of these 8 cases have been compared to those of 40 patients, whose leukemic myeloblasts differed exclusively in the absence of granular PAS-positive materials. Out of the latter PAS-negative cases 7 patients (18%) went into a complete remission (M1, P1), 5 patients achieved partial remission (M2, P1-2), the 50%-survival time was 4.9 months. Out of the 8 granular PAS-positive cases 4 patients (50%) went into complete (M1, P1), and 1 reached partial remission (M2, P1-2). The 50%-survival time of the cases now lasts 10.1 months and three patients are still alive and in persisting complete remission 19, 12.5 and 12 months after diagnosis. These results suggest a better prognosis and an improved therapeutic response in those myeloblastic leukemias which additionally contain cytoplasmic granular PAS-positive materials.