Elimination of acute myelogenous leukemic cells from marrow and tumor suspensions in the rat with 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide.

Cell suspensions of normal rat marrow mixed with rat acute myelogenous leukemic cells were prepared and incubated in vitro with graded doses of 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (4HC). The cell suspensions were injected into rats prepared with a lethal dose of total body irradiation. Animals injected with these cells survived fatal irradiation induced aplasia. In a dose related manner 4HC was able to "purge" tumor cells from the cell mixtures. Thus, animals given cell suspensions incubated with the lower doses of 4HC showed prolonged survival before death from leukemia and animals given cell suspensions incubated with higher doses of 4HC survival lethal irradiation without the subsequent appearance of leukemia. These studies clearly establish that tumor cells may be eliminated from normal marrow suspensions without completely destroying the pluripotent stem cells.