Studies of Parents of Children With Acute Leukemia

Abstract

In a case-control study, 70 mothers and 24 fathers of children with acute leukemia (AL) were compared with 70 mothers and 24 fathers of normal children. Three significant differences (P<O.05) were found when 35 factors were compared among the mother pairs and one difference among the father pairs. Mothers of children with AL, though alike in most respects to their matched controls, had a significantly lower number of monocytes than their controls. This was a new observation. The mothers of the children with AL also had higher levels of γ-globulin, IgA, and IgG (Philadelphia only), which confirmed previous observations. The fathers and mothers had higher levels of basophils. These findings direct attention to the immune systems, particularly the mononuclear cells, of the parents of children with AL, as a focus for further studies on the etiology and pathogenesis of childhood leukemia.