Maintenance of remission in acute myelogenous leukaemia by a mixture of B.C.G. and irradiated leukaemia cells.

Thirty patients with acute myelogenous leukaemia (A.M.L.) in full haematological remission were allocated alternately to two groups of fifteen patients each. All patients received immunotherapy, given weekly as intradermal and subcutaneous injections of killed allogeneic A.M.L. cells, plus Glaxo B.C.G. given by Heaf gun at a separate site. One group also received a mixture of A.M.L. cells and B.C.G. on 4 occasions early in remission. Four patients in this group have remained in remission for 92 to 134 weeks, whereas all patients in the other group had relapsed by 68 weeks. The findings suggest that cells mixed with B.C.G. may be effective in prolonging remission.