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Mercapto Polycytidylic acid (MPC) is a potent inhibitor of oncornaviral reverse transcriptase. The fact that this enzyme has been found in human leukemic cells, has let to the clinical trials of MPC in the treatment of childhood acute leukemia. This report discribes the first pilot clinical trial on 23 patients. The results are encouraging, and have let to a second pilot study including other clinical centers on the clinical efficacy of MPC in the treatment of leukemia.

The mortality rate due to varicella in patients on cytostatic therapy is high. However, during the first 72 hours after infection, an effective protection can be given with Varicella/Zoster-Immunoglobulin (ZIG). This article deals with 172 cases with malignant diseases. These children who were on polychemotherapy contacted varicella. They were treated with ZIG 0,2 ml/kg per body weight in 15% concentration. After triple dilution ZIG was administered intravenous to 151 patients and undiluted intramuscular to 21 patients. ZIG was well tolerated. Only 3 children had varicella and even this was in a mild form. The donors of ZIG were selected through a screening program.

This communication documents a study of 35 patients with systemic malignant diseases between 1964 and 1973. All these patients developed interstitial pneumonia (int.pn.), and in two cases recurrence of int.pn. was observed after several months. Of these 35 patients 29 were diagnosed of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In particular the occurrence of int.pn. was very frequently noticed under the more aggressive therapeutic regimes mentioned in the Memphis protocol VII. The statistical analysis revealed that the most critical period of occurrence is between 8 and 11 weeks after the induction therapy or 6-9 weeks after the reinduction or relapse therapy. These observations indicate the dependency of this disease during the intensive phase of therapy. The prognosis of int.pn. was improved significantly after the pentamidine treatment. The etiology of the int.pn. is discussed in detail. The post mortem examination of 6 patients revealed that 5 of them had pneumocystes carinii.

In a randomised study the efficacy of a cytomegalic hyperimmune globulin preparation (CMV-HIGP) which had been treated with beta-propiolactone was analysed. The study included 85 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and Non-B-Non-Hodgkin-lymphoma (NHL) who were treated initially or underwent a relapse therapy. During the intense chemotherapeutical period within leukemia treatment the patients were passively immunised by the intravenous route with CMV-HIGP (1 ml per kilogram of body weight) every two to three weeks at the latest. In the initial stages the basic immunisation protection was achieved by the application of double dose CMV-HIGP. The Frankfurt patients were recruited from the BFM-ALL- and the NHL-study since october 1982. When they were admitted their CMV serostatus was determined by means of the ELA-ELISA or IFA-method. Seronegative patients were given the passive immunisation immediately or 48 hours after the first blood transfusions at the latest. The patients who had become CMV-IgG-positive by passive immunisation were randomised when reaching long-term therapy according to the protocol. Because of a 30% cytomegaly disease incidence rate in our patient population a randomisation was unwarrantable at the beginning of leukemia treatment. During randomisation one group of patients were immunised by the intravenous route with CMV-HIGP (2 ml per kg body weight one time in four weeks), the second group was a control group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)