[Hematologic and cytogenetic response to treatment in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia].

Background: The Interferon alpha therapy increases the number of cytogenetic responses in patients with chronic myeloic leukaemia. The addition of cytarabine can reduce the number of Ph positive metaphases. The achievement of cytogenetic response is connected with longer survival of patients with chronic myeloic leukaemia.

[Primary hepatosplenic (gamma delta) T-cell lymphoma: clinico-pathologic analysis of 3 cases].

The authors analyze three cases of hepatosplenic (gamma-delta) T-cell lymphoma which is a newly defined unit in the spectrum of primary splenic lymphomas. The first two were diagnosed in sequential biopsies of bone marrow, splenectomic material and the liver of female patients aged 38 and 67 years. In the clinical picture dominated symptoms of progressing splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, haemolytic anaemia and different manifestations of leuco- and thrombocytopenia with expulsion of tumour cells into the peripheral blood.

[Recombinant interferon alfa in the treatment of essential thrombocythemia].

Essential thrombocythaemia, a clonal myeloproliferative disease characterized by a persisting increase of the number of thrombocytes, their abnormal morphology and function, is a special clinical and therapeutic problem which calls for a comprehensive approach. Based on a group of their own patients and on data from the literature, the authors discuss the asset of interferon alpha in the treatment of essential thrombocythaemia.

[Interferon alpha in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia].

The authors present their results assembled in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) to whom they administered interferon alpha (IFN) in the chronic stage of the disease. They evaluated the survival of patients and the haematological and cytogenetic response. They recorded a favourable haematological response in patients with CML to IFN treatment comparable with data reported in the literature.

[Occurrence, diagnosis and therapy of beta thalassemia in Slovakia].

The authors draw attention to the prevalence of beta-thalassaemia in Slovakia, the rising trend of the disease, the occurrence of new cases of the disease in eastern Slovakia where the disease was not described previously. They draw attention to pitfalls of the diagnosis and treatment of beta-thalassaemia in Slovakia, the importance of molecular analysis of DNA globin chains of haemoglobin in the diagnosis of this serious condition. The authors paid major attention to the importance of prenatal diagnosis.