Abstract
Three patients with acute leukemia, who have survived five years or more after the initial remission, are reported. Patient 1 (a high school girl) was diagnosed as acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the age of 15, and is still living more than 6 years. Patient 2, a 33-year-old female with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, has complete remission of five years' duration. Patient 3, a 21-year-old female with acute myelocytic leukemia, is still alive without evidence of relapse for 6 years. In these three patients, complete remission was achieved within two months by initial combination chemotherapies, and there was no relapse thereafter.
It is noteworthy that three patients had recovered from severe infection, such as pulmonary tuberculosis (patient 1) and septicemia (patients 2 and 3) during the course of the disease. Recently, immunotherapy for patients with acute leukemia has been tried to improve remission duration and survival. In this context, it is suggested that stimulation or restoration of immunocompetence after severe infection may be one of contributing factors for prolonged remission in three patients reported herein.
