Clinical Applications of Stromal Cell Studies in Acute Leukemia

It is well-known that stromal cells have a crucial role in the regulation of hematopoiesis and engraftment [1]. Stromal cell studies became even more attractive after the c-kit ligand (stem cell factor) was discovered [2,3]. Data dealing with the biological properties of stromal cells in malignant hematological disorders are still scarce, however. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of bone marrow fibroblastand stormal cell-conditioned medium (CM of patients with acute leukemia (AL) on the proliferation and differentiation of normal and leukemic cells with respect to the development of potential diagnostic and prognostic markers.