Methodological approach to minimal residual disease detection by flow cytometry in adult B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

A flow cytometric approach to minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring useful in childhood B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is discussed here in the context of ALL in adults. Of 64 leukemia samples analyzed, 95.3% had at least one abnormal phenotype (57.

Effect of addition of FLT-3 ligand and megakaryocyte growth and development factor on hemopoietic cells in serum-free conditions.

The aim of this study was to clarify the mechanisms that regulate hematopoietic cell expansion in vitro by identifying defined culture conditions. We report the results of experiments with CD34(+) cells from cord blood (CB, n = 13), bone marrow (BM, n = 4), and mobilized peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC, n = 5) using two combinations of cytokines: (A) granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), interleukin-3 (IL-3), interleukin-6 (IL-6), stem cell factor (SCF), erythropoietin (EPO), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-b) and (B) combination A plus FLT3 ligand (FL) and megakaryocyte growth and development factor (PEG rhMGDF). Cultures of immunoselected CD34(+) cells were performed in serum-free liquid medium without serum substitutes.

Thymic epithelial cells promote survival of human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia blasts: the role of interleukin-7.

Background And Objectives: T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cells originate within the thymus from the clonal expansion of T cell precursors. Among thymic stromal elements, epithelial cells (TEC) are known to exert a dominant inductive role in survival and maturation of normal, immature T-cells. In this study we explored the possible effect of TEC on T-ALL cell survival and analyzed the role of interleukin-7 (IL-7) within the microenvironment generated by T-ALL-TEC interactions.

Outcome prediction by immunophenotypic minimal residual disease detection in adult T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Flow-cytometric detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) identifies patients with high relapse risk in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). We studied the efficacy of this method in adult T-ALL treated with the Italian co-operative GIMEMA (Gruppo Italiano Malattie Ematologiche dell'Adulto) LAL0496 protocol. Bone marrow samples from 53 patients were taken at fixed treatment time points and MRD was analysed using a leukaemia-specific immunophenotype (cytoplasmic-CD3/nuclear-terminal desoxynucleotidyl transferase).