agar and Preleukemia

The in vitro cloning of haemopoietic precursors is a rapidly growing field. The data reviewed above and the current practical applications of the techniques can be expected to increase quite rapidly in the next decade. Despite the technical problems of tissue culture and the special problems associated with culturing human cells, it is clear that these procedures can be effectively applied at the clinical level. The value of the data obtained will vary directly with the quality of the culture techniques. Any centre undertaking these techniques must be prepared to properly equip the culture laboratory, appoint a full-time staff member for the work and maintain a constant surveillance of the quality of the culture work.

Topics: Agar; Anemia, Aplastic; Cells, Cultured; Colony-Forming Units Assay; Colony-Stimulating Factors; Culture Media; Granulocytes; Hematopoietic Stem Cells; Humans; Leukemia, Myeloid; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute; Monocytes; Myeloproliferative Disorders; Polycythemia Vera; Preleukemia; Primary Myelofibrosis; Time Factors

Topics: Agar; Anemia, Aplastic; Bone Marrow; Cell Aggregation; Cell Division; Cells, Cultured; Diffusion; Hematopoietic Stem Cells; Humans; Kinetics; Preleukemia

Thirty-seven patients with chronic cytopenia were studied using a CFU-c assay in agar. On the basis of the growth pattern three types of preleukaemic syndrome (PL) and two types of aplastic anaemia were distinguished. Further evaluation of the bone marrow dysfunction was attempted with a combined application of cytochemistry and electron microscopy for the morphologic study of cells proliferating in vitro. Well-defined maturation defects in the growing cells from the bone marrow of patients with PL were demonstrated with cytochemical stainings performed in agar. These results were supported by electron microscopic findings of Auer-body-like inclusions in "statu nascendi" in the vacuoles of preleukaemic cells. On the basis of our results a high risk group of PL for development of overt leukaemia and a group of patients with a grave prognosis in aplastic anaemia were distinguished. The data obtained are relevant for the clinical diagnosis and prognosis of patients with cytopenias.

Topics: Adult; Agar; Aged; Anemia, Aplastic; Bone Marrow Cells; Cells, Cultured; Culture Media; Female; Hematopoietic Stem Cells; Histocytochemistry; Humans; Inclusion Bodies; Male; Microscopy, Electron; Middle Aged; Preleukemia

The expression of results obtained in in vitro bone marrow cell culture as per ml of aspirated marrow instead of per 10(5) nucleated cells plated as studied in 41 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and 79 patients with a dysmyelopoietic syndrome. Four types of growth were found in AML patients: three with hypercellular marrow and either (a) microclusters, (b) isolated cells, or (c) macroclusters and a complete remission (CR) rate of 86%, 63%, and 14% respectively; (d) relative hypocellular marrow with a CR rate of 0%. This type of poorly responsive AML patient has recently been described [17]. Patients with dysmyelopoietic syndromes were subdivided into three groups according to th type of in vitro growth: subnormal, decreased, and leukemic. There was a good correlation between these in vitro groups and the outcome of patients: long survival, death from hemorrhagic and/or infectious complications, leukemic transformation (logrank test: chi 2 = 9.12, df = 2, p = 0.01).

Topics: Adult; Agar; Aged; Bone Marrow; Cell Count; Cells, Cultured; Humans; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute; Middle Aged; Preleukemia; Prognosis

The growth and differentiation of granulopoietic progenitor cells from 15 patients with haemopoietic dysplasia were studied by in vitro culture in agar-gel. After 14 d in culture whole colonies and clusters were transferred to glass slides and were stained with a modified Papanicolaou technique. The preparations were examined for cellular differentiation by counting the number of mature cells (band forms and polymorphonuclear cells) and a mitotic index was calculated from the number of mitotic cells. Patients with defective colony formation showed granulopoietic maturation defects and a reduced mitotic index was found in some colonies. Patients who had colony counts within the normal range, however, showed normal in vitro maturation. Defective colony growth in haemopoietic dysplasia generally indicates a malignant course and can occasionally be related to leukaemic transformation. The finding of in vitro maturation defects in an additional culture abnormality which may indicate a deteriorating clinical course. A defective maturation and a reduced mitotic index in vitro add support to the concept of clonal progression in malignant haemopoietic dysplasia.

Topics: Adult; Agar; Aged; Bone Marrow; Cell Division; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Cells, Cultured; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mitotic Index; Myeloproliferative Disorders; Preleukemia