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Serum copper investigations in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Insights
Serum copper levels (SCL) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) correlate with disease activity. Elevated SCL indicates active disease, while normalization suggests treatment efficacy, aiding in monitoring and predicting ALL recurrence.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Clinical Chemistry
- Hematology
Background:
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a common childhood cancer.
- Biomarkers are crucial for monitoring disease progression and treatment response in ALL.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between serum copper levels (SCL) and the clinical course of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children.
- To evaluate the utility of SCL as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in pediatric ALL.
Main Methods:
- Serum copper levels were measured in 57 children with ALL using atomic absorption spectrophotometry.
- SCL were correlated with disease status, including untreated ALL, remission, extramarrow localization, and recurrence.
Main Results:
- Highest mean SCL (261.2 microgram/100ml) were observed in untreated ALL patients.
- SCL decreased with myelogram normalization during treatment.
- Elevated SCL (163.8-168.8 microgram/100ml) were noted in extramarrow localizations and during disease recurrence compared to remission (129.8 microgram/100ml).
Conclusions:
- Serum copper levels are closely linked to the clinical course of pediatric ALL.
- SCL estimation can serve as an auxiliary test for evaluating ALL disease activity, treatment efficacy, and predicting recurrences.
Abstract:
Serum copper level (SCL) was studied in 57 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. It was found that changes in serum copper are to a greater extent related to the clinical course of ALL than to the age of the children examined. The highest mean SCL were obtained in untreated patients (261.2 microgram/100ml). Normalization of myelograms during treatment is accompanied by decrease of SCL. The significant increase of SCL in comparison with SCL in remission (129.8 microgram/100ml) occurred in extramarrow localizations (163.8 microgram/100 ml) and in the group of cases where after 1/2...2 months of maintenance therapy the recurrence of ALL was noted (168.8 microgram/100 ml). These observations suggest that SCL estimation may be useful as a auxiliary test in the clinical evaluation of the disease, for efficiacy of therapy and in predicting recurrences of ALL.