Mitotic Activity of the Granulopoietic Precursor Cells in the Peripheral Blood in Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia

Abstract

The mitotic indices (MI) of granulopoietic precursor cells in peripheral blood and bone marrow were studied in 38 patients with typical chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the chronic phase. The MI in the peripheral blood were low, in the median 0.07%, compared to those in the bone marrow with a median of 1.07%. The blood MI were significantly increasing with rising WCC [white cell count] and the values of the MI above the median were combined with short survival times. The bone marrow MI were negatively correlated to the blood MI and this may be a sign of an increased exchange of cells between bone marrow and blood.