SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE TREATMENT OF POSTIRRADIATION HEMATOPOIETIC DEPRESSION IN MAN BY THE INFUSION OF STORED AUTOGENOUS BONE MARROW

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Abstract
The authors report on 14 patients with malignant disease, followed 6 months to 2 years after completion of intensive and extensive radiotherapy after preliminary storage by freezing in glycerol of their bone marrows. Four of these patients had the procedure of bone marrow collection and storage and re-infusion performed a total of 5 times, following radiotherapy. The other 10 served as controls. The latter group suffered much less severe hematopoietic depression than those who were re -infused, as indicated by less leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. In each of the infused patients, the hypoplastic bone marrow became hyperplastic in 1 1/2 to 4 weeks. In the non-infused patients, the peripheral blood counts returned to the low normal levels over a period of several months, but the bone marrows were still severely hypoplastic throughout the period of observation which extended up to 2 years. The procedure of bone marrow storage and autologous re-infusion is now being performed routinely on all our patients with malignant disease, lymphomata, and leukemia (in remission), who undergo extensive and intensive radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The details of the procedure of preparation of the bone marrow, its freezing, and re -infusion are described. The technique is found to be sufficiently easy and practicable for routine use.