OBSERVATIONS OF CLINICAL AND CHROMOSOMAL CHANGES IN A CASE OF CHRONIC GRANU- LOCYTIC LEUKEMIA

This article reports observations of long-term clinical and chromosomal changes in a patient with chronic granulocytic: leukemia (CGL), who fell ill in August 1979 and died of blastic crisis in July 1982. At the onset of the disease the bone marrow chromo- some examination showed that the Ph' chromosome frequency was 81.8%. In the remission stage this was drastically reduced t0 18-12%. During the re. lapse stage it elevated markedly t0 52-76%. Thus, chromosome Ph'Ievel can be considered an important indication in evaluating the course of CGL. When acute CGL transformation progresses, there will appear 62% karyotype with 47 chromosomes (double Ph). This alteration is correlated with acute acce leration of the disease and is usually regarded as a poor prognosis factor. Sister Chromatid exchange (SCE) study in our patient demonstrates that this value increased t0 9.65+2.90/cell (normal level 5.134+1.720/cell). So marked rise in SCE level has great diagnostic significance in CGL acute transforma- tion.