Serial measurements of beta-2-microglobulin in plasma correlates with white blood cell counts and haptocorrin in chronic myeloid leukemia.
The fate of beta-2-microglobulin was investigated in 17 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia by correlation analysis of the plasma concentration and various clinical measurements. The plasma concentration of beta-2-microglobulin correlated individually with white blood cell count, differential counts of band and segmented neutrophils, metamyelocytes and myelocytes, and haptocorrin concentration during the clinical course (p less than 0.002). The neutrophil granulocytes from the differential stage of myelocytes appears to be a major source of beta-2-microglobulin in chronic myeloid leukemia, and our results suggest that beta-microglobulin is is contained within the specific granules or is liberated from the plasma membranes synchronously with degranulation of neutrophils.