Acid phosphatase positive Tlymphoblastic leukaemia [T-ALL] in Pakistani children

ABSTRACT

T-Lymphoblastic leukaemia [T-ALL] appears to be associated with factors known to be of bad prognosis in Acute lymphocytic leukaemia [ALL]. Acid phosphatase reaction [AP], a specific non-immunological cytochemical marker for T-ALL was performed on peripheral blood and bone marrow slides of fifty children with ALL to assess the frequency of T-ALL in our population. Myeloperoxidase [P] and Alpha-Napthyl Esterase [NASA] were performed to exclude Acute myelocytic and Monoblastic leukaemia. A strong localised AP reaction in more than fifty percent of the blasts was taken as positive for T-ALL. Of the fifty cases studied 32% showed strong AP positivity in majority of the cells. These were negative for both P and NASA and showed varied Periodic Acid Schiff [P.A.S.] positivity. This high frequency of T-ALL in our series may explain the poor response to therapy and high relapse rates observed in our population