Autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction in lymphoid malignancies. Lack of correlation with disease activity or clinical remission

The proliferative response of T-enriched lymphocytes to autologous antigenic determinants present in cell populations depleted of T lymphocytes (autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction) was investigated in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia at different clinical stages and during clinical remission and in patients with hairy cell leukemia and patients with malignant lymphoma in long-term remission (median 35.5 months). An absence of autologous reactivity was found independently of the tumor burden, and no restitution of the autologous response was observed in patients in clinical remission. The response to phytohemagglutinin and to irradiated allogeneic T-depleted lymphocytes from normal individuals was found to be preserved in all patients, but lower than in healthy subjects. These observations suggest a defect of either the responder or stimulator population or a defect in the mechanism(s) regulating the autologous response. The possible pathogenic role of the AMLR in malignant lymphoproliferative disorders is discussed.