Serum lactic dehydrogenase level has prognostic value in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Serum lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were measured at diagnosis in 293 children with 'standard-risk' acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) to determine the prognostic value of this biologic feature. Standard risk assignment was based on an initial leukocyte count of <100 x 10⁹/L, the absence of a mediastinal mass, the absence of meningeal involvement, and the presence of lymphoblasts lacking sheep erythrocyte receptors or surface immunoglobulin. Serum LDH levels ranged from 97 to 6,595 U/L, with a mean of 547 U/L. Higher LDH levels were associated with higher leukocyte counts, lower blast cell DNA indices, lower platelet counts, a larger spleen size, and nonwhite race. LDH levels were not related to the percentage of marrow S-phase cells, liver size, French-American-British (FAB) classification, hemoglobin levels, age, sex, or the presence of the common ALL antigen on marrow blasts. Patients with the highest LDH levels (>1,000 U/L) were most likely to fail treatment, whereas those with the lowest levels (<300 U/L) had the lowest risk of failure (P < .0001). The prognostic significance of serum LDH level was retained in a subset of patients that included only those with leukocyte counts <25 x 10⁹/L (P = .0018). When 11 presenting characteristics were subjected to multivariate analysis, serum LDH level was found to have independent prognostic strength, contributing clinically important information to that gained from leukocyte count. Early measurement of serum LDH could be useful in identifying a group of standard-risk ALL patients with a high relapse hazard.