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A Clinical Trial of Chemotherapy and RAJI Immunotherapy in Advanced Acute Lymphatic Leukemia¹

Pediatric Oncology Branch [R. S., G. E. J., D. G. P., B. G. L.], and the Immunology Branch [D. M.], National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20014

Patients in remission with advanced acute lymphatic leukemia were randomly assigned to receive chemotherapy alone or chemotherapy plus immunotherapy with a Burkitt lymphoma tissue culture cell line (RAJI). Remission duration in both groups was identical. Complement-dependent cytotoxic antibody was seen in 5 of 8 immunized patients and 0 of 8 controls. This antibody reacted with RAJI and both allogeneic and autologous acute leukemia cells. Antibody titers began to rise after 2 months, peaked at 4 months, and then declined prior to relapse in all patients. The time course of the increase in mixed-leukocyte culture response to RAJI was similar in immunized patients. An increased in vitro response to phytohemagglutinin was seen during drug administration in all patients. Although no clinical benefit was seen in this small number of patients with the RAJI injections, these in vitro responses are encouraging and new immunization schedules will be investigated.

¹ Presented in part at the 65th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, 1974 (11).

² Present address: UCLA School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Los Angeles, Calif. 90024.

³ Uganda Cancer Center, P.O. Box 3935, Kampala, Uganda.

⁴ To whom requests for reprints should be sent.

Received 6/26/75. Accepted 8/28/75.