Differentiation and activation antigens on blood mononuclear cells in lymphocytic leukemia before and during...

Expression of differentiation and activation antigens on peripheral blood mononuclear cells of four chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) patients was studied before and during interferon-alpha 2b therapy. Patients had clinical stage B(II) disease, a lymphocyte count of over 60 G/l and a lymphocyte doubling time shorter than 12 months. One of the patients unresponsive to previous chemotherapy experienced a substantial decrease of the lymphocyte count during interferon-alpha 2b (IFN-alpha 2b) therapy, with a nadir at one fifth of the initial value while on this therapy. The lymphocyte count decreased slightly in a further patient, while it increased in two patients. Treatment with IFN-alpha 2b left the phenotype of CLL lymphocytes essentially unchanged. The elevated serum beta-2 microglobulin values increased further during treatment with the exception of the CLL patient responsive to IFN-alpha 2b therapy. The clinical stage of the disease did not change in any of the patients when evaluated according to the criteria of the International Workshop on CLL. Further studies are necessary to determine which of the CLL patients benefit from therapy with interferon-alpha 2b.