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Immune Reactivity of Leukemia Patients to Autologous Blast Cells

Leukemia Service, Medicine Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20014 [B. G. L., R. H. H.], and Cellular and Tumor Immunology Section, Laboratory of Cell Biology, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20014 [E. B. R., R. B. H.]

Twenty patients with acute leukemia were studied by three assays, the mixed leukocyte culture, lymphocyte cytotoxicity assay, and skin tests, for evidence of immune reactivity against their own leukemic blast cells. All but one showed a positive response in at least one assay, with mixed leukocyte culture positive in 17 of 20, lymphocyte cytotoxicity assay positive in 8 of 16, and skin test positive in 13 of 18 patients at some point in the course of their disease. The skin test seemed to correlate with disease state. It was positive 14 of 18 times when performed in remission and only 3 of 8 times in relapse. Positive reactions in the mixed leukocyte culture tended to be most common 10 to 20 days after chemotherapy had been discontinued. The tests did not correlate well with one another. Presumably, they measure different phases of the immune response with differing sensitivity to such variables as chemotherapy. These studies indicate that immune reactivity of patients to their own leukemia cells does exist and can be assayed as an important new measure of the effect of therapy on the patient.

Received 1/31/72. Accepted 5/16/72.