THE SERIAL STUDY OF C-MYC EXPRESSION IN BONE-MARROW BIOPSY SPECIMENS DURING TREATMENT FOR ACUTE MYELOGENOUS LEUKEMIA

The AMEX method of fixation permitted the serial study of c-myc expres sion in bone-marrow (BM) biopsies obtained from 6 patients with acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML) and one with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS ) during therapy with various cytotoxic and bioactive agents. BM cytot oxic therapy and therapy with bioactive agents was capable of altering c-myc expression in vivo. While cytotoxic therapy was generally assoc iated with a fall in myc expression, it did not produce a dramatic eff ect on myc expression. Recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony -stimulating factor (RhGM-CSF) can increase and retinoic acid/alpha-in terferon can decrease c-myc expression in myeloid cells in vivo.