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A Colchicine‐Sensitivity Test for Leukaemic Lymphocytes
Author(s) -
Schrek Robert,
Messmore Harry L.,
Knospe William H.,
Stefani Stefano S.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1600-0609
pISSN - 0036-553X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0609.1976.tb00328.x
Subject(s) - colchicine , medicine , lymphocyte , vincristine , prednisolone , lymphoma , gastroenterology , immunology , chemotherapy , cyclophosphamide
Non‐dividing lymphocytes from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia were more sensitive than normal lymphocytes to reagents as prednisolone, cytarabine, vincristine and colchicine. The maximum difference was obtained when the cells were incubated with colchicine at 37°C for 20 h. The sensitivity was measured by a ‘sensitivity index’ which was an estimate of the average percentage of lymphocytes killed by 1.0 and 0.1 μg/ml of colchicine. The index was 0–1% for lymphocytes from the blood of 14 normal persons and was 61–98% for 23 of 25 leukaemic patients with absolute lymphocyte counts of 8,000 times 10 9 /1 or more. 3 of 4 untreated patients with presumptive diagnoses of early leukaemia had low absolute counts of 3,300 to 7,600 times 10 9 lymphocytes/I and high sensitivity indices of 41 to 83%. Tests on treated patients with lymphocyte counts less than 8,000 times 10 9 /1 suggesed a correlation of the index with remission and relapse. Hairy cells from 3 patients with hairy cell leukaemia were resistant to colchicine. Sensitivity to colchicine seemed useful at a test for leukaemic lymphocytes and as an aid in the haematologic evaluation of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and malignant lymphoma.