Abstract
Graft-versus-leukaemia after allogeneic BMT is known to be mediated by immune mechanisms. We have shown that immune-mediated anti-leukaemia activity is the mechanism of cure after autologous BMT. To further explore this phenomenon, we have studied 18 patients after chemotherapy alone and a further five patients after autologous BMT (aBMT) conditioned with radio/chemotherapy. All patients were undergoing treatment for acute leukaemia (AML - 12; ALL -11) and the group consisted of 15 adults and 8 children (all cALL). Lymphocytes from each patient were collected in remission at completion of therapy and tested for in vitro cytolytic activity against their own presentation leukaemic blasts. Patients who subsequently relapsed were found to have significantly lower leukaemia-cytolytic activity (LCA) than those who remain in remission beyond two years (p
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 119 |
| Journal | Blood |
| Volume | 96 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| Publication status | Published - 2000 |