Leukopenia prognosis by radiation therapy of patients with Hodgkin's disease

The investigation goal of the present study is the possible utilization of early postradiation peripheral blood DNA content changes during radiotherapy (RT) of cancer patients for prognostic purposes related to the subsequent ascertaiment of leukopenia values. Twenty-three primary patients with II-III stage Hodgkin's disease were treated at the linear accelerator of 15 Mev electrons by usual fractionation to a total dose of 40 Gy. The blood DNA content was fluorometrically determined by 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole before treatment, 24 hrs after the first irradiated dose, in the middle and at the end of RT course. Retrospective analysis of obtained data demonstrated that the first patients' group with blood leukocyte level above 3 x 10(9) cells/l at the end of RT, revealed an average blood DNA concentration decrease only after half of the treatment course. The second group of patients, complaining at the end of RT severe leukopenia, showed a two-fold decrease of the DNA concentration after the first irradiation in 62% of cases. The biochemical changes were not accompanied by a proportional decrease of the leukocytes number. The early decrease of DNA content drop, at the middle and the end of RT course, was conditioned both by lymphocytes and granulocytes. These changes were not practically interfaced with plasma changes. Thus, given biochemical criteria may be used as a sensitive index for the prognosis of leukopenia values after the RT beginning. As confirmed by test-irradiation in vitro of blood specimens of primary patients with Hodgkin's disease. There was a significant correlation between the new index and the level of leukopenia during post-treatment course.