FL levels in patients undergoing treatment for hematologic malignancies.
Peripheral blood was obtained from patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment alone (1. Chemotherapy), or combined with autologous SCT (2. AutoSCT) or allogeneic SCT (3. AlloSCT). Blood samples were collected during pancytopenia on days 10 to 19 after the beginning of treatment; leukocyte count at that time was 0.28 ± 0.02 × 109/L. For each patient, measurements of mFL and sFL were performed in samples obtained on the same day. Levels of mFL in T cells were measured by 2-color FACS analysis of mononuclear cells stained with anti-CD3 and anti-FL mAbs; levels of sFL in serum were measured by ELISA. Normal range of mFL and sFL determined in 1263 and 6027 healthy donors, respectively, is shown in gray. Mean values are indicated. P < .005 or P < .01, mFL and sFL expression in group 3 of CsA-treated patients with respect to the values observed in groups 1 and 2 of patients who did not receive CsA.
