Study on the Cell Kinetics Using Flow Cytometry

—Analysis of Proliferative Phase in Acute Leukemia—

Abstract

Flow cytometric analysis of the bone marrow cellular DNA content was performed in 23 adult patients with acute leukemia. We investigated in this study the relationship between the cell kinetics of bone marrow cells before therapy and the effect of chemotherapy and also the prognosis. The results were summarized as follows.
1) For the whole seresis, the G₁/G₀ phase compartment was 78.8±8.6% (Mean±SD), the S-phase compartment was 15.9±8.1%, the G₂+M-phase compartment was 5.3±2.5%.
2) The patients in relapse had lower percentage of S-phase compartment that observed before the initial therapy.
3) The patients with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia who obtained complete remission had significantly higher percentage of S-phase compartment than that in those who did not. (p<0.05).
4) There was a tendency that the cases with the higher percentage of S-phase compartment had the shorter term to complete remission.
5) In the patients who obtained complete remission, the patients with lower percentage of S-phase compartment at pretreatment had longer remission duration and survival, compared to patients with higher values.
The results of this study suggests that the percentage of bone marrow leukemic cells in S-phase in previosuly untreated acute leukemia is one of predictive parameters for the prognosis and aids us in selecting chemotherapy.