Basophil function in patients with chronic myelogenous leukaemia.

We have compared the release of histamine from basophils isolated from six patients with chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) and seven normal controls. No differences were noted in the release induced by rabbit anti-human IgE. However, basophils from CML patients released less than 20% of their intracellular histamine when challenged with the anaphylatoxin C5a at a concentration that caused greater than 50% release from normal basophils. Furthermore, basophils from CML donors showed a significantly lower release in the presence of the calcium ionophore A23187. These results suggest that basophils from CML patients have an inherent defect.