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This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Rights and Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Foa, R. Articles by Gavosto, F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Foa, R. Articles by Gavosto, F. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?  Previous Article  |  Table of Contents  |  Next Article  Defective lymphokine-activated killer cell generation and activity in acute leukemia patients with active disease R Foa, MT Fierro, A Cesano, A Guarini, M Bonferroni, D Raspadori, R Miniero, F Lauria and F Gavosto Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Oncologia Umana, University of Torino, Italy. In 26 myeloid and lymphoid acute leukemia patients at presentation the capacity to generate interleukin-2 (IL-2)-induced lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells effective against the natural killer (NK)-resistant Raji cell line, as well as the susceptibility of the blasts to normal peripheral blood (PB) LAK cells and to autologous LAK effectors was analyzed. The overall PB LAK activity against Raji cells was significantly lower in acute leukemia patients compared with normal controls (mean, 1,473 +/- 971 SD LU/10(8) LAK effectors v 3,340 +/- 1,862; P less than .001). The sensitivity of the blasts to autologous LAK cells was also significantly lower than to normal LAK effectors (517 +/- 593 LU/10(8) LAK effectors v 1,304 +/- 1,066; P less than .01). When the data were analyzed independently, four patterns of behavior could be recognized. The relatively largest group (9 of 26) included patients in whom effective LAK cells could be generated against the Raji line, but in whom the blasts were resistant to autologous PB-LAK effectors while being susceptible to normal LAK cells (defective specific LAK activity). In 5 of 26 cases, an incapacity to generate LAK activity against both allogeneic and autologous target cells was observed (defective LAK generation). In six further cases, the blasts were resistant to both allogeneic and autologous LAK populations, though the latter were effective against the Raji line (resistant blasts). The same defects could also be shown with bone marrow-derived LAK cells. Only in six cases did the leukemic blasts appear susceptible to autologous and allogeneic LAK cells. In four patients the analysis could be repeated at remission, and in three a restoration of the LAK function against the primary blasts was recorded. In the 10 cases studied at relapse, the blasts were resistant to autologous LAK effectors in nine and to normal LAK in seven. These data demonstrate that in most acute leukemia patients with active disease, a defect of the LAK machinery, either a deficient generation of LAK cells or the resistance of the blasts to LAK effectors, may be documented, pointing therefore to a possible contributory role of the LAK system in the control of leukemic cell growth. In view of the frequent normalization of the autologous LAK activity at the time of remission, immunotherapy with IL-2/LAK cells should be primarily aimed to patients with minimal residual disease. Volume 78, Issue 4, pp. 1041-1046, 08/15/1991 Copyright © 1991 by The American Society of Hematology CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this? This article has been cited by other articles: A. A. Cardoso, J. P. Veiga, P. Ghia, H. M. Afonso, W. N. Haining, S. E. Sallan, and L. M. Nadler Adoptive T-Cell Therapy for B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Preclinical Studies Blood, November 15, 1999; 94(10): 3531 - 3540. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

	Copyright © 1991 by American Society of Hematology         Online ISSN: 1528-0020