Effect of granulocyte chalone on acute and chronic granulocytic leukaemia in man. Report of seven cases

Abstract

This study reports results from the first clinical tests in which 7 patients with myeloid leukaemia (5 acute and 2 chronic leukaemias in metamorphosis) were treated from 4 to 45 days with granulocyte chalone, the tissue-specific endogenous inhibitor of granulopoiesis. It was observed that i.v. injection of partially purified chalone inhibits proliferation of leukaemic, and presumably also normal granulocytic cells, leaving all other cell types unaffected. Inhibition of leukaemic growth was distinct in 6 of the 7 patients; in 5 cases the inhibition was followed by acutal regression of the leukaemia, lasting up to several months in the absence of any maintenance therapy, and in one case the treatment led to a complete remission. Chalone treatment also resulted in an enhancement of erythropoiesis and megakaryopoiesis, and in phenomena some of which were totally unexpected, such as immunostimulation and a remarkable resistance to bacterial infections in the presence of extreme granulocytopenia. This study shows that granulocyte chalone is biologically active against myeloid leukaemia in man, but not that the therapeutic value of the impure chalone is superior to modern cytostatic drugs. Long-term therapeutic trials were not possible with the partially purified preparations available, mainly because of side-effects which prevented adequate dosing.