Response of acute myelomonocytic leukemia to alkyl-lysophospholipids. A case report.

Acute myelomonocytic leukemia refractory to treatment with daunomycin, cytosin arabinoside and thioguanine morphologically and clinically responded twice to therapy with alkyl-lysophospholipids (ALP). Beginning 48 h after treatment leukemic cells developed large vacuoles in cytoplasm and nucleus which disrupted the continuity of the cell membranes. Normal hematopoietic cells remained morphologically unchanged. Within 14 days of first ALP treatment leukemic cells in peripheral blood were reduced to less than 10%, but normal hematopoiesis recovered under therapy with an increase of granulocytes.