Spontaneous Remission In Chronic Lymphoid Leukemia
Terapeuticheskii Arkhiv 48(8): 1976; 26-30
View Original Source →Abstract
A 78-year-old man with untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was revaccinated for smallpox. A severe local reaction and generalized rash followed that responded to treatment with vaccinia immune human globulin. After recovery, the leukocyte count fell to normal and all evidence of CLL disappeared. He remains in complete remission three years after smallpox vaccination.
Case Details
Personal Characteristics
A 37-year-old woman
Clinical Characteristics
Progressive picture of chronic lymphoid leukemia
Remission Characteristics
Spontaneous clinical and hematological remission
Treatment & Mechanisms
Proposed Remission Mechanisms
Not discussed
Clinical Treatment
Treatment with chemotherapy and x-ray irradiation
Additional Notes
The remission lasted 5 years. In the myelogram the lymphocyte count was 21% during the remission (although during the stage of the disease in progress it reached 71%). After five years, the abdominal lymph nodes increased in size and general lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly reappeared, but the peripheral blood count stayed normal: 6,175 leukocytes/ml with 11% lymphocytes, and lymphocyte count in bone marrow no more than 11.4%. The patient died from the general lymphosarcoma (as diagnosed by the authors)