[Monitoring of remission quality in acute leukemia of childhood by repeated determinations of B-cell-allo-antigen on lymphoblasts (author's transl)].

B-Cell-allo-antigen was demonstrated on lymphoblasts of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and on 14 permanent growing lymphoblastoid cell-lines. Pooled sera of 4 selected multiparas and a rabbit antiserum were used as specific antisera. Antigen was more effectively detected with heterologous antibodies than with human antisera. Primary lymphoblasts were characterized by B-cell-allo-antigen and lack of membrane immunoglobulins and Fc-receptors on the same cell. The quality of remission, i.e. the early diagnosis of relapse was better surveyed by immunological characterization than by cytological assessment. The bone marrow was examined in 8 patients with initial leukemia, in 13 patients with partial remission and in 30 patients in complete hematological remission. A striking discrepancy between immunological and cytological examination was observed in the bone marrow 4 weeks after inital anti-leukemic chemotherapy. At that time an increased number of blast-typed cells could still be counted in the immunological evaluation, although the cytological evaluation revealed already a complete hematological remission.