The effect of high-dose methylprednisolone on CD34-positive bone marrow cells in the children with acute myeloblastic leukemia

• Published in: Turkish journal of pediatrics Vol. 37; no. 4; pp. 345 - 349
• Main Authors: Tuncer, A M, Hiçsönmez, G, Gümrük, F, Albayrak, D, Duru, F, Güzel, E, Sayli, T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Turkey 01.10.1995
• Subjects: Adolescent; Analysis of Variance; Antigens, CD34 - metabolism; Child; Glucocorticoids - administration & dosage; Glucocorticoids - pharmacology; Hematopoietic Stem Cells - drug effects; Humans; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute - drug therapy; Methylprednisolone - administration & dosage; Methylprednisolone - pharmacology; Turkey; Turkey
• ISSN: 0041-4301

The expression of CD34 antigen on the surface of bone marrow (BM) cells during remission induction was studied in 20 patients with CD34-negative acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML). The patients were given high-dose methylprednisolone (HDMP) alone for one week, after which time mitoxantrone and low-dose Ara-C were added. BM cells from all patients were studied one, two and four weeks after initiation of treatment to evaluate CD34 antigen expression using a three-step peroxidase antiperoxidase staining technique. The mean percentage of CD34-positive BM cells was 5.3% at presentation, increasing to 15.6% in the first week, 12.9% in the second week and 21.7% in the fourth week of therapy. During the same period the mean percentages of the initial BM blasts decreased from 64% to 22%, 7% and 2% in the first, second and fourth weeks of therapy, respectively. The increase in the CD34-positive BM cells one week after HDMP treatment alone suggests that HDMP directly or indirectly stimulates CD34-positive hematopoietic progenitor cells while decreasing BM blasts in patients with AML.