Sixty patients with disorders involving the bone marrow were tested with a purified bacterial endotoxin given intravenously. Their leukocyte and granulocyte responses were evaluated based on criteria established in normal individuals and in patients with leukocytosis.

Results in patients with chronic myelocytic leukemia, untreated or in relapse, suggest that adequate granulocyte mobilization may still occur if the disease has been of recent onset or if the count has recently started to rise in spite of therapy. Patients in remission demonstrated adequate granulocyte reserves.

Most patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in this study responded well with an increase in the number of granulocytes. Patients with multiple myeloma as a group showed inadequate granulocyte mobilization.

This study demonstrates that endotoxin testing is useful for the evaluation of bone marrow granulocyte reserves in patients with hematologic disorders.

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© 1964 by American Society of Hematology, Inc.
1964
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