Abstract
The proliferation of bone marrow fibroblast colony forming cells (CUF-F) was studied in liquid culture in 3 controls, in 17 patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), in 6 patients with aplastic anemia, and in 5 patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The average number of CFU-F in controls was 94 per 2x106 bone marrow cells. Serial studies were done in ALL. At the diagnosis of ALL, colony formation was significantly suppressed (16). The number of CFU-F increased after chemotherapy (125) and at the stage of complete remission (122), and decreased again at relapse (32). There was a correlation between the number of CFU-F and the percentage of bone marrow myeloid cells. An inverse correlation between the number of CFU-F and the percentage of blasts in the bone marrow was also found. In aplastic anemia, colonies varied widely in numbers, ranging from 37 to 235 (mean 141). The growth rate of CFU-F in ITP was normal or greater than in controls (90-266; mean 135). Bone marrow fibroblasts may be important in the pathogenesis and clinical expression of blood diseases in children.
