Normal and leukemic cell production in man

Growth of normal and malignant bone marrow cells

Results of five different methods (heme breakdown, mitotic indices, total marrow cellularity and different methods of labelling indices) to determine bone marrow cell growth are reviewed. Normal immature erythroblasts and myeloblasts have generation times of about 5-10 h. Erythroblasts in neoplastic conditions (the myelodysplastic syndrome and polycythemia vera) have generation times which are significantly prolonged, by 12-75 per cent, but this may not be true for myeloblasts, since total labelling indices are increased (from normal 3.9 to 11.2 per cent) in the myelodysplastic syndrome. In contrast, generation times in aplastic anemia are significantly shortened, by about 70-80 per cent. Normal mature erythroblasts and promyelocytes have generation times of about 24 h, and the malignant prolongation may be even greater.