Graft-versus-leukemia is sufficient to induce remission in juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia.
It has been unclear whether a graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect assists in the control of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) following allogeneic bone marrow transplant. We describe a patient with JMML who relapsed early after an unrelated donor transplant, and following withdrawal of immunosuppression developed graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Associated with GVHD the proportion of donor cells measured by variable nucleotide tandem repeat (VNTR) analysis increased, and peripheral blasts and cutaneous disease were eliminated. These findings strongly suggest that GVL has a role in the control of JMML.
Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Human Genetics, University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinics, Minneapolis, USA.
P J
PJ
Orchard
J S
JS
Miller
R
R
McGlennen
S M
SM
Davies
N K
NK
Ramsay
D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D020350:Graft vs Tumor Effect; D006801:Humans; D015477:Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Chronic / Q000628:therapy*; D012074:Remission Induction; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous