Treatment of chronic granulocytic leukemia in the accelerated phase by transfusion of autologous buffy-coat cells--a case report.

We treated a patient with chronic granulocytic leukemia (CGL), in the accelerated phase by intensive chemotherapy followed by the infusion of cryopreserved peripheral blood buffy-coat cells. The cells had been stored for 32 months. The chemotherapy consisted of daunorubicin 40 mg X 2 days, vincristine 2 mg X 1 day, cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) 200 mg X 6 days and prednisolone 30 mg X 7 days in the first week, then Ara-C 3 g/m2 X 3 days and cyclophosphamide 60 mg/kg X 2 days in the second week, but reversion to the chronic phase was not achieved. Therefore, total body irradiation (TBI) was added to repeated intensive chemotherapy followed by infusion of the remaining cells. Marrow recovery was good. The patient is currently alive and has been in the chronic phase for 22 months. This preliminary result indicates that this therapy may be tried soon after transformation in CGL and that TBI is an important part of therapy in BMT in the accelerated or blastic phase of CGL.