An abnormal cell-line in a patient with acute granulocytic leukemia.Cytogenetic studies before and after an allogeneic marrow transplant

A 52-year-old man with acute granulocytic leukemia was exposed to 500 R total-body irradiation 24 hours before receiving a marrow transplant from his brother. Cytogenetic studies of two “direct” marrow preparations obtained before the transplant revealed a chromosomally abnormal malignant stem-line which comprised approximately 80% of the analyzable metaphases. From 8 days to 122 days after the irradiation and transplant only 46, XY metaphases could be identified in the marrow preparations. The early appearance of morphologically normal metaphases and the lack of recurrence of the malignant cell-line corroborate the clinical and red-blood-cell marker data which indicated: 1. that the marrow graft was successful, and 2. that there was no evidence of relapse of leukemia up to the time of the patient's death.