A study of leukemic cell infiltration in the testis and ovary.

The behavior of leukemic cell infiltration in the testis or ovary was examined on 99 autopsy cases of various leukemia, which were performed in the Department of Pathology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, from 1964 to 1975. The incidence of leukemic cell infiltration was 48.5% in the testis and 58.1% in the ovary. The frequency of leukemic cell infiltration in the testis or ovary itself showed no significant increase in recent years, although median survival time became longer by a more aggressive combination chemotherapy. These findings show that the testis and ovary are essentially a preferred site of leukemic cell infiltration. Especially in acute monocytic leukemia, leukemic cell infiltration was revealed in all cases. In addition, short discussions were made on the role of sex hormones in the infiltration, proliferation, and persistence of leukemic cells of each type of leukemia in the testis or ovary.