Citogenética y citoquímica de pacientes con leucemias en dos hospitales neotropicales / Citogenetics and citochemistry of leukemia patients in two neotropical hospitals

RESUMO

A cytogenetic and/or cytochemical study was performed in 166 individuals with leukemia or related disorders, in two major Costa Rican hospitals. In those patients treated at an adult`s (14 years old and over), acute leukemias represented 66 porcent of all cases. In that hospital the most frequent types of disorders were, in decreasing order ANLL(>M1), ALL, CML (all of them showed the Ph chromosome) and MDS. In the cases fron a children`s hospital (<14 years old) acute leukemias were 98 porcent. Among them the order of frequency was ALL (70 porcent) ALL-1(84 porcent), ALL-2(16 porcent) and ANLL (27 porcent) M5a>M3>M4>M5b. In ALL 85 porcent were type B and occurred mostly in women while 15 porcent of them were type T and more frequent in males. There was 5.6 porcent infant leukemia, which presented a similar number of acute lymphoids and myeloids. The cytogenetic pattern was similar among Costa Rica and other tropical and temperate countries. Key words Leukemia cytogenetics, acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute nonlymphocitic leukemia, chronic granulocytic leukemia