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IMMUNOTHERAPY WITH CHEMOTHERAPY IN THE MAINTENANCE OF REMISSION IN ACUTE MYELOBLASTIC LEUKAEMIA
Author(s) -
Whiteside Maxwell G.,
Cauchi Maurice V.,
Paton Christine M.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1976.tb141543.x
Subject(s) - medicine , immunotherapy , chemotherapy , complete remission , acute myeloblastic leukemia , maintenance therapy , oncology , surgery , leukemia , cancer
Thirteen patients with acute myeloblastic leukaemia or one of its variants in remission have been given maintenance treatment with a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Chemotherapy was given for one week in four, and immunotherapy was given during the intervening three weeks. The immunotherapy consisted of BCG vaccine given by Heaf gun, and “snapfrozen” pooled allogeneic irradiated leukaemic cells. The median duration of survival was 147+ weeks, and the median duration of the first complete remission was 76 + weeks. It is difficult to compare these results with other figures reported, but they add to the evidence which suggests that immunotherapy is of value in the maintenance treatment of patients with this disease. Further controlled trials are necessary.