THE PRESENT STATUS OF THERAPY IN ACUTE LEUKEMIA
Authors: MILTON S. SACKS
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1952)

Editorial1 August 1952THE PRESENT STATUS OF THERAPY IN ACUTE LEUKEMIAMILTON S. SACKS, M.D.MILTON S. SACKS, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-37-2-400 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptAfter many years of fruitless investigation, from a therapeutic standpoint, of the etiology and control of acute leukemia, a small break in the completely dark horizon occurred in 1948 with the introduction of the folic acid antagonists.1This was followed, in 1950, by observations that the hormones ACTH and cortisone also exerted a temporary beneficial effect upon certain types of acute leukemia.2From the mass of literature which has accumulated in the past four years a few facts have emerged and become crystallized. It is quite apparent that these are but the veriest beginnings of an understanding of this inexorably...1 Farber S, Diamond LK, Mercer RD, Sylvester RF, and Wolff JA: Temporary remissions in acute leukemia in children produced by folic acid antagonist, 4-aminopteroylglutamic acid (aminopterin), New England J. Med. 238: 787, 1948. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2 Pearson OH, Eliel LP, Talbot TR, Burchenal JR, Petro AT, Poppell JW, and Craver LF: The use of ACTH and cortisone in acute leukemia, Blood 5: 786, 1950. Google Scholar3 Furth J: Recent studies on the etiology and nature of leukemia, Blood 6: 964, 1951. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4 Dreyfus B: Les remissions de la leucemie aigue, Sang 1: 35, 1948. Google Scholar5 Birge RF, Jenks AL, and Davis SK: Spontaneous remission in acute leukemia, J. A. M. A. 140: 589, 1949. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6 Diamond LK and Luhby LA: The pattern of "spontaneous" remissions in leukemia in childhood. A review of 26 remissions in 300 cases, Am. J. Med. 10: 236, 1951. CrossrefGoogle Scholar7 Bassen FA and Kohn JL: Multiple spontaneous remissions in a child with acute leukemia: the occurrence of agranulocytosis and aplastic anemia in acute leukemia and their relationship to remissions, Blood 7: 37, 1952. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8 Farber S: Proceedings of the Second Conference on Folic Acid Antagonists in the Treatment of Leukemia, Blood 7 (Supplement): 107, 1952. Google Scholar9 Heinle RW: Proceedings of the Second Conference on Folic Acid Antagonists in the Treatment of Leukemia, Blood 7 (Supplement): 113, 1952. Google Scholar10 Burchenal J: Proceedings of the Second Conference on Folic Acid Antagonists in the Treatment of Leukemia, Blood 7 (Supplement): 115, 1952. Google Scholar11 Sacks MS: Unpublished observations. Google Scholar12 Bierman HR, Cohen P, McClelland JW, and Shimkin MB: The effect of transfusions and antibiotics upon the duration of life in children with lymphogenous leukemia, J. Pediat. 37: 455, 1950. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar13 Williams JH: Proceedings of the Second Conference on Folic Acid Antagonists in the Treatment of Leukemia, Blood 7 (Supplement): 100, 1952. Google Scholar14 Jukes TH, Broquist AP, and Stokstad ER: Vitamin B12 and "citrovorum factor" in the nutrition of Lactobacillus leichmanii and Leuconostoc citrovorum , Arch. Biochem. 26: 157, 1950. Google Scholar15 Savberlich HE and Baumann CA: A factor required for the growth of Leuconostoc citrovorum 8081, J. Biol. Chem. 176: 165, 1948. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar16 Nichol CA and Welch AD: On the mechanism of action of aminopterin, Proc. Soc. Exper. Biol. and Med. 74: 403, 1950. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar17 Heinle RW: Proceedings of the Second Conference on Folic Acid Antagonists in the Treatment of Leukemia, Blood 7 (Supplement): 170, 1952. Google Scholar18 Swendseid M, Swanson AL, Meyers MC, and Bethell FH: The nutritional status of folic acid in persons with leukemia and its possible relationship to effects of aminopterin therapy, Blood 7: 307, 1952. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar19 Law LW: Response of a resistant variant of leukemic cells to an antagonist of pteroylglutamic acid, Proc. Soc. Exper. Biol. and Med. 77: 340, 1951. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: MILTON S. SACKS, M.D. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 August 1952Volume 37, Issue 2Page: 400-403KeywordsAdrenocorticotropic hormoneEtiologyFolic acidHormones ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 August 1952 PDF downloadLoading ...