Latent Period in Leukaemia Induction by the Radiation Leukaemia Virus

IN C57BL/6 mice, infection with the radiation leukaemia virus is age dependent and leukaemogenesis is highly effective only when the virus is inoculated shortly after birth^1,2, but several months elapse before the disease is actually manifested. Why is there such a long latent period before the leukaemic cells proliferate into a palpable tumour, especially as in the newborn mouse the target organ for the development of the disease, the thymus, is still in a proliferative stage, with abundance of immature lymphoid cells and an incompetent immunological system?     

Adriamycin in the Treatment of Acute Leukaemia

In a preliminary study a new antitumour antibiotic, adriamycin, was found to be capable of inducing complete remission in 6 out of 17 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and in one out of four with lymphoblastic lymphosarcoma despite the fact that these patients had either failed to respond or had relapsed after chemotherapy with agents recognized to be potentially successful in each condition. In five cases of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia adriamycin was used in combination with cytosine arabinoside—three achieved complete remission and two good partial remissions. This combination seems to merit further study in patients who have relapsed on the more conventional chemotherapeutic regimens in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.In 13 patients with acute myelogenous leukaemia previously treated with daunorubicin and cytosine arabinoside no remissions were obtained with the dose range used.     

Association between Influenza during Pregnancy and Childhood Leukaemia

This report based on the data available from the Finnish Cancer Registry and from virus isolations gives further support to the association (P=0·04) between maternal influenza of the 1957 “Asian” type and subsequent later leukaemia in the infants. No such association was found from other influenza epidemics.     

Survival and the HL-A System in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia

The relation between the HL-A antigens and survival has been studied in 58 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Patients with the HL-A9 antigen had the best estimated median survival times, the highest ratio of survivors to non-survivors, and the lowest median age at diagnosis. The data suggest that resistance to acute lymphoblastic leukaemia may be associated with the HL-A9 antigen.     

Rubidomycin in Acute Leukaemia in Adults

In a preliminary study rubidomycin was found capable of inducing remission in adults with acute leukaemia, the remission rate in acute myeloblastic leukaemia comparing favourably with that achieved with previous forms of therapy. Marrow aplasia and cardio-toxicity occurred in a number of patients. Supportive measures during the former and early recognition by frequent electrocardiography can do much to mitigate these toxic effects.