STUDIES ON LONGEVITY SEQUESTRATION AND RELEASE OF LEUKOCYTES IN CHRONIC MYELOGENOUS LEUKEMIA

  • 1 January 1966
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 95  (10) , 511-+
Abstract
The intravascular life-span of leukocytes labelled in vitro with radioactive di-isopropylfluorophosphate was studied in 12 patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). In relapse, leukocyte specific activity (LSA) disappeared slowly; in remission, LSA curves approached normal and only a small proportion of LSA disappeared slowly. The level of maturation of the leukocytes that persisted in the blood was investigated by a leukocyte fractionation technique which excluded immature myeloid cells from leukocyte samples. The influence of extracorpuscular factors upon the pattern of disappearance of LSA was investigated by means of cross-transfusion experiments, and LSA curves obtained with in vitro and in vivo labelling were compared. The results suggest that: the intravascular life-span of the mature leukemic neutrophil is prolonged in relapse and in remission; intrinsically abnormal leukocytes are sequestered in an extravascular pool(s) but recycling occurs; extra-corpuscular factors modify the LSA curves; exchange of leukocytes between intravascular and extravascular pools may not occur in relapse; and the intravascular and extravascular pools constitute a self-sustaining pool(s) not replenished from a non-miscible precursor pool.