Autologous immune enhancement therapy in Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Advances in current treatment regimens in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have resulted in cure rates of 75-80 %. Some molecular genetic abnormalities confer a poor prognosis. Of these, the chromosomal translocation t (9;22)-Philadelphia chromosome is associated with the worst outcome in childhood ALL. Optimal therapy for this variant of ALL includes chemotherapy as per high risk schedule, imatinib and early stem cell transplantation. We report here the successful natural killer cell-based autologous immune enhancement therapy along with chemotherapy and imatinib in a patient with Philadelphia chromosome positive ALL.