[A possible new prognostic criterium for acute myelocytic leukemia: speed of the titer increase of antiviral antibodies after virus oncolysate injections].

In a study conducted by the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research, 28 patients with acute myelogenous leukemia in complete remission were treated by chemotherapy and viral oncolysate (i.e. formalin treated fowl plague virus infected allogenous leukemia cells). Patients with a slow rise and low maximal titers of antiviral antibodies in the sera proved to have longer remissions than those with a prompt and high rise. Several patients showed association of antiviral antibody changes in the serum with the percentage of myeloblasts in the bone marrow. Determination of the antiviral antibody titer slope after repeated immunization by viral oncolysate can therefore be used for prognosis in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia in remission, and may be helpful in detecting inadequately treated patients.