Cytogenetic conversion following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for
advanced chronic myelogenous leukemia
PB McGlave, WJ Miller, DD Hurd, DC Arthur and T Kim
We performed a pilot study to test the effectiveness of allogeneic bone
marrow transplantation in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia.
Five patients in the advanced stages of chronic myelogenous leukemia (four
in blast crisis, one in accelerated phase) with abnormal chromosomes
underwent matched-sibling allogeneic bone marrow transplantation after
preparation with busulfan, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and fractionated
total body irradiation. Engraftment and conversion to normal chromosome
patterns after transplantation occurred in all five patients. None of the
patients reverted to an abnormal chromosome pattern of demonstrated
clinical or hematologic evidence of recurrent disease during the course of
this study; however, longest survival from transplant was 248 days.
Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation can eradicate the abnormal clone
even in far advanced chronic myelogenous leukemia and can provide normal
hematopoiesis. We suggest that clinical complications of chemotherapeutic
toxicity and infection were responsible for the short survival in this
group of patients, and that these complications could be decreased by
performing transplantation in the chronic phase or early accelerated phase
of the disease.
Volume 58,
Issue 5,
pp. 1050-1052,
11/01/1981
Copyright © 1981 by The American Society of Hematology
