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Biomedical subjects

M A van Buchem

Publications and source records attributed to M A van Buchem.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Endothelial activation antigens in pulmonary leukostasis in leukemia.

Adhesion between leukemic cells and the vascular endothelium has been suggested to play a role in the development of leukostasis in myelocytic leukemia. To define the role of adhesion molecules on the surface of endothelial cells in leukostasis, we used immunohistochemistry to study the expression of endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule-1 (ELAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in lung tissue of 4 patients with pulmonary leukostasis. Lung tissue of 2 patients with myelocytic leukemia without leukostasis and 4 patients with irrelevant nonpulmonary disease was used as a negative control. Positive control tissues included a lymph node with angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy and a hyperplastic tonsil. Weak positive staining for ELAM-1 was found in 1 patient in vessels, both with and without leukostasis. Expression of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 in all patients tested was similar to that in the negative controls. The results of this study suggest that activation of endothelium, with increased expression of the endothelial adhesion molecules under study, is not a prerequisite for the development of pulmonary leukostasis in leukemia.

Adolescent

Development of pulmonary leukostasis in experimental myelocytic leukemia in the Brown-Norway rat.

The pathogenesis of pulmonary leukostasis in leukemia was studied in a rat model by investigating the course of its development. Leukemia was induced by inoculating rats with leukemic cells. The earliest stage of leukostasis was found from day 14 onward, when leukemic cells appeared in the peripheral blood, and was characterized by accumulation of leukemic cells at the capillary level. Simultaneous with the increase of leukemic cell concentrations in the peripheral blood, accumulation in capillaries increased gradually over a period of several days. This was accompanied by increasing severity of tachypnea. Shortly before death, aggregates consisting almost solely of leukemic cells were found in medium-sized blood vessels. This stage was rapidly followed by the end-stage, characterized by complete obstruction of the lung vasculature--including the largest arteries and veins--by leukemic cell aggregates, giving rise to extensive hemorrhages and edema. The end-stage was considered to be the cause of death, which occurred 18-26 days after the inoculation. The histological and ultrastructural findings in this study suggest that besides the size and stiffness of individual leukemic cells, interactions not only between leukemic cells, but also between leukemic cells and the endothelium play a role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary leukostasis.

Animals

Leucostasis, an underestimated cause of death in leukaemia.

Massive sludging of leukaemic cells in blood vessels is a frequent and often lethal complication of leukaemia. In a retrospective clinicopathological study on the causes of death in 52 patients with acute myeloid leukaemia and myeloproliferative disease, pulmonary leucostasis was found in 40% of the patients. In many of these patients the vessels of the heart, brain and testes were also involved. In search for signs and symptoms specific for leucostasis, the clinical records of the 21 patients with leucostasis (the study group) were compared to those of 20 patients without leucostasis (the control group). Dysfunction of the organs most affected by leucostasis, namely lungs, heart and brain, was found more often in the study group than in the controls, but the combination of unexplained fever with cardiopulmonary and/or central nervous system failure occurred almost exclusively and in half of the patients with leucostasis. Leucostasis occurs predominantly, but not exclusively, in patients with high leucocyte counts, and especially, but again not exclusively, when the leucocyte counts rise sharply.

Adult

Pulmonary leukostasis: radiologic-pathologic study.

The terminal chest radiographs of ten patients with pulmonary leukostasis were correlated with the autopsy findings. In six patients, no abnormalities attributable to leukostasis were seen on chest radiographs. In four patients, diffuse alveolar consolidations were caused by alveolar edema following leukostasis. Leukostasis should be considered in leukemia patients with severe dyspnea who have normal chest radiographs or diffuse alveolar edema.

Cause of Death