NATURAL-KILLER-CELL ACTIVITY AND CYTOKINE PRODUCTION AS PROGNOSTIC FACTORS IN ADULT ACUTE-LEUKEMIA

We studied the natural killer (NK) cell activity and in vitro producti on of the cytokines which can enhance NK activity (interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), interferon gamma (IFN gamma), and interleukin-2 (IL-2)) a fter stimulation in 44 patients with acute leukemia (AL) and 14 normal controls. We also studied the influence of these parameters on relaps e and the relapse-free survival (RFS) (after the date of assay) of the AL patients. The NK activity and the production of cytokines in the p eripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) from 16 patients at the untr eated or relapsed stage as well as from 12 patients after consolidatio n were significantly lower than those from controls (both P<0.01), and those from the 16 patients at maintenance or off treatment were also significantly lower than those from the controls (P<0.01 or P<0.05), R FS after the date of assay of the patients in remission with NK activi ty above the median value was significantly longer than that of the pa tients below the median (P<0.05). The production of cytokines in the P BMNC from patients who showed continuous complete remission for at lea st 6 months was higher than that from the patients who relapsed early. These findings suggest that impaired NK cell function and cytokine pr oduction are associated with early relapse of AL regardless of remissi on status.