Blood, 1959, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 1-23.
© 1959 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
Irradiation of the Entire Body and Marrow
Transplantation: Some Observations and Comments
E. DONNALL THOMAS 1,
HARRY L. LOCHTE JR. 1, and
JOSEPH W. FERREBEE 1
1 Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital (affiliated with Columbia University),
Cooperstown, N.Y. and the Children’s Cancer Research Foundation, Children’s Medical
Center, Boston, Mass.
Case reports of 5 patients with acute leukemia receiving total-body irradiation and intravenous infusion of normal marrow are presented. An eight-month
follow-up on a previously reported patient with chronic leukemia is included
and a review of an individual receiving nitrogen mustard and marrow is presented for comment.
Of several patients reported in this and in a previous communication only
two may be said to have obtained significant clinical benefit. Potential reasons
for this incidence of improvement are advanced and the general subject of
total-body irradiation and marrow replacement in man is discussed. Pitfalls
and problems biologic and physical and the theory of their circumvention are
analyzed.
Submitted on April 10, 1958
Accepted on June 14, 1958
