Background: Allogeneic bone-marrow transplantation (BMT) is associated with the graft-versus-leukaemia effect because of the antileukaemic action of donor lymphocytes. We describe a graft-versus-myeloma effect after BMT in multiple myeloma.
Methods: Two patients with recurrent multiple myeloma after allogeneic BMT (T cells partly depleted, 10(5) T cells infused per kg) received leucocyte infusions obtained by leukapheresis from their original marrow donors. The patients were a 48-year-old woman and a 49-year-old man.
Findings: Both patients developed graft-versus-host disease and achieved complete remission of myeloma. Chimerism was complete in both patients in that all peripheral blood cells were of donor origin.
Interpretation: We see our results as evidence for a graft-versus-myeloma effect. Using this form of adoptive immunotherapy, we could administer 1000-3000 times more T cells than with the earlier BMT.