ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC-LEUKEMIA - HAND MIRROR VARIANT

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 104  (3) , 134-136
Abstract
The presence of numerous hand mirror cells in the bone marrow of patients with acute leukemia may be related to a good prognosis. To further evaluate this relationship, the bone marrows of 21 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia were reviewed for the presence of greater than 40% hand mirror cells. Four of these 21 patients (19%) demonstrated this finding during the course of their illness. These patients were characterized by ease of remission and/or prolonged survival. Three (75%) patients are alive and well at the time of this writing. At the present time, of the 17 patients without hand mirror cells, 7 (41%) are alive and 10 (59%) are dead. Although not statistically significant, these findings suggest a positive relationship between the presence of 40% hand mirror cells in the bone marrow and a favorable prognosis. Future larger prospective studies are indicated to further understand the importance of this complex, apparently immunologically stimulated cell.