[Acute leukemia in infants].

Abstract

Acute leukemias in infants, including the congenital and neonatal leukemia, present a number of unfavourable features. Age of the infant, hyperleukocytosis, outstanding organomegaly, early onset of the CNS leukemia are some of the factors causing this group of acute leukemias of childhood to be those with highest risk. The poor prognosis of the illness is further worsened by frequent rejection of cytotoxic therapy, often failure in inducing remission and its shortness. Two patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, aged 4 months, are presented. Clinical the hematologic remission was achieved in both by the application of the current therapeutic methods. Recurrence and CNS leukemia appearing 5 months after the remission resulted in death of one patient. The second patient also developed CNS leukemia 5 months after remission. It was treated and another remission was achieved, but the child died due to interstitial pneumonia.