Molecular remission occurring after donor leukocyte infusions for the treatment of relapsed chronic myelogenous leukemia after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

Donor leukocyte infusions were administered to a patient who had relapsed with chronic myelogenous leukemia after having failed two successive HLA-matched allogeneic bone marrow transplants. Serial cytogenetic, restriction fragment length polymorphism, and polymerase chain reaction studies of the patient's marrow and blood after receiving donor leukocyte infusions revealed disappearance of the leukemic clone and the establishment of complete donor chimerism. An antileukemic response in this patient occurred initially in the absence of clinically evident graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), but complete eradication of the leukemic clone did not occur until after the onset of GVHD. The patient is now 48 weeks post infusion and remains in complete remission. This case demonstrates that leukocyte infusions are an effective form of adoptive immunotherapy which can result in a sustained molecular remission.