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In 45 patients whose donor was of unlike sex, the sex chromosomes were used as markers of the cellular origin of myeloid and lymphoid tissues after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Successful engraftment was characterized by the appearance of dividing donor cells in marrow within 2 weeks of grafting and in mitogen stimulated blood cultures by 3 weeks. Leukaemic relapse was identified in eight cases and was associated with different patterns of cellular origin of the myeloid and lymphoid tissues. At the time of relapse the marrow contained either a mixed population of normal donor and leukaemic recipient cells, or only recipient cells. Thus, in this series, leukaemic relapse was not found occurring in donor cells. The importance of defining the origin of cells in interphase as well as in metaphase was demonstrated. In all but one case, the dividing lymphoid population remained of donor origin during relapse.
Lawler et al. (Thu,) studied this question.