COMPARISION OF THE APOPTOTIC EFFECTS ON LYMPHOBLASTS AND ON INCREASE OF MYELOID LINEAGE CELLS OF A SHORT-TIME, HIGH-DOSE METHYLPREDNISOLONE AND THE CONVENTIONAL-DOSE PREDNISOLONE TREATMENTS IN CHILDREN WITH ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA

The authors compare the apoptotic effect on the lymphoblasts and the proliferative effect on the myeloid lineage cells of a short-course high-dose methylprednisolone (HDMP) and the conventional-dose prednisolone treatments in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The patients were divided into 2 groups. Group I (n = 10) received HDMP (30 mg/kg/day for 7 days) in a single dose before 6 a.m. perorally. Group II (n = 10) received prednisolone (2 mg/kg/day for 7 days) in 3 doses. The apoptotic percentages of lymphpblasts and the percentages of blasts and myeloid lineage cells were determined after performing the bone marrow aspiration (BMA) at diagnosis on the 0th, 3rd, and 7th days of the treatments in all patients. The mean apoptotic percentages of the lymphoblasts on the 3rd day were significantly higher than those on the 0th and 7th days in both groups (p