title: In vitro tests in severe aplastic anaemia (SAA): a prospective study in 46 patients treated with immunosuppression.
abstract: Forty-six patients with severe aplastic anaemia (SAA) were studied for CFU-c growth on admission and 1 month post-treatment with immunosuppression (IS). Twenty-three patients became transfusion independent after IS, and were considered responders, and 23 did not. CFU-c growth from unfractionated bone marrow cells was comparable in both groups on admission and 1 month post-treatment. CFU-c growth from E rosette depleted BM cells (E-BM) was also comparable on admission. However, 1 month post-treatment, responders showed a significantly higher CFU-c growth (P = 0.02) from E-BM cells compared to non-responders. At the same time 7/8 responders studied showed T cell mediated suppression of autologous CFU-c growth. T cell depletion experiments do not give predictive information on the outcome of IS therapy on admission. They may, however, be helpful to identify responders early post-treatment.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000741:Anemia, Aplastic / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology