Of note, bone marrow (BM) from patients with ALL revealed high contents of preactivated CD56<sup>high</sup> NK cells expressing CRTAM and endowed with an exhaustion-like phenotype and the functional capability of producing IL-10 and TGF-β in vitro.
In comparison with T-lineage ALL specimens, expression of IL-10, IFN-gamma, IL-15Ralpha, and Flt1 was significantly higher in B-cell precursor (BCP) ALL specimens (P <0.01).
We conclude that IL-10 genotype might influence prednisone response in patients with childhood ALL, whereas TNF genotype seems to influence the risk of relapse in high risk ALL patients.
The secretion of IL-10 by leukaemic cells, and the absence or downregulation of conventional adhesion and costimulatory molecules might represent an effective mechanism of escape of immune surveillance in relapsed ALL.
Most cases of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) (7/8 cases) and all cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (n = 2), chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) (n = 5), both in chronic phase and during blast crisis, expressed the mRNA for TNF-alpha and IL-10.
IL10 high-producer-haplotypes were reduced in ALL-patients compared with healthy controls and resulted in a reduced relapse rate compared with low-producer haplotypes.