Lymphocyte functions of child patients with ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) in remission.

Functional activities of various subsets of peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in remission were studied. In the detection of cell surface markers and the responsiveness to mitogens, no significant abnormalities were found. However, impaired functional activities of various subsets of lymphocytes such as helper T cells and B cells in an in vitro pokeweed mitogen-stimulated immunoglobulin-producing system, and natural killer cells and cells responsible for antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity in 51Cr release assays were found. The results of the induction of specific killer T cells varied. The impairment of lymphocyte functions seemed to be related to the defective defense mechanism which even in patients in remission leads to serious life-threatening infections.