title: Primitive progenitor cells in the blood of patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia.
abstract: We measured the number of blast colony-forming cells (Bl-CFC) in the blood of 11 patients with untreated chronic granulocytic leukemia (CGL). The culture system used detects three types of Bl-CFC (Types I, II and III) in normal marrow, of which Bl-CFC (I) are the most primitive and might represent the putative hemopoietic stem cell. The mean numbers of Bl-CFC (I) in CGL blood, normal bone marrow and normal blood were 134 +/- 29 (+/- SEM), 127 +/- 21 and 1.5 +/- 0 respectively per 1 X 10(6) mononuclear cells. These findings are consistent with the concept that CGL is due to a primary increase in stem cell numbers with secondary increases in committed progenitor and leukocyte numbers.
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Dowding
authors.forename: M Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Goldman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000097:blood*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010976:Platelet Count