Bone Marrow Fibroblasts in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Abstract
Fibroblast-like cells were grown from the bone marrow of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients before, during and off therapy. A diminished growth capacity was observed in cells from patients before and during therapy. In the three groups studied, differences were also observed in the effect of hydrocortisone on DNA synthesis and in the content of glucocorticoid binding sites. These results suggest that microenvironmental changes occur in ALL, which may revert to normality during or after therapy.