RT Journal
A1 Boggs DR, Wintrobe MM, Cartwright GE
T1 TO treat or not to treat acute granulocytic leukemia. ii
JF Archives of Internal Medicine
JO Archives of Internal Medicine
YR 1969
FD May 1
VO 123
IS 5
SP 568
OP 570
DO 10.1001/archinte.1969.00300150086012
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinte.1969.00300150086012
AB In a recent editorial in this journal 1 Crosby expressed the opinion that there are certain varieties of acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) in which specific antileukemic therapy should not be employed. Specifically, he stated that the following types of patients are "not improved by chemotherapy": those with such morphologic subvarieties of this disease as myelomonocytic, promyelocytic, and acute granulocytic leukemia with megaloblastosis (erythroblastic leukemia); patients with the smouldering type of acute leukemia, and patients over the age of 50. In a previous study,2 we were unable to demonstrate any influence of cell type or age upon the rate of response of AML to mercaptopurine. However, the number of patients treated with mercaptopurine in that series was small (63 patients) and experience with certain of the less common varieties of the disease was limited. We therefore have reviewed patients treated in our clinics since that date in order to enlarge