Impact of Specific Immunotherapy in Acute Myelocytic Leukemia

Abstract

During the last ten years immunotherapy has become an important tool in the treatment of human leukemias. Mathé et al. [1,2] demonstrated the therapeutic value of irradiated allogeneic myeloblasts in combination with BCG in treating childhood lymphoblastic leukemia. Similar studies were conducted by Powles et al. [3] and Gutterman et al. [4] in patients with acute myelocytic leukemia involving chemotherapy with or without irradiated allogeneic myeloblasts plus BCG. These studies consistently show that immunized patients sustain a somewhat longer remission duration than those without immunization. Also, after the first relapse immunized patients are reported to have higher frequency and greater “ease” of reinduction. BCG has been used in conjunction with cultured leukemia cells in the immunization of patients with chronic myelocytic leukemia by Sokol et al. [5]. Under optimal conditions prolongation of median survival of CML patients was attained in patients who were treated with busulfan and immunotherapy as compared to controls who received busulfan alone. In an attempt to find a more standardized immunological adjuvant, Weiss et al. [6] conducted extensive studies with MER, the methanol extraction residue of BCG. They were able to demonstrate therapeutic advantage of MER, especially in murine leukemias.