Treatment of chronic granulocytic leukaemia in chronic phase by allogeneic marrow transplantation

Abstract

Ten patients with chronic granulocytic leukaemia in the chronic phase have been treated with chemoradiotherapy followed by transplantation of bone marrow from HLA-identical siblings. Engraftment was achieved in all patients, and Philadelphia chromosome disappeared from the nine patients who had it before transplantation. Four patients have died, three with interstitial pneumonitis and one with severe graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). Six patients are alive and well in complete clinical, cytogenetic, and haematological remission, 1-3 years after transplantation, despite complications in three patients (one had interstitial pneumonitis, one had mild veno-occlusive disease of the liver, and one had severe GvHD).