(DOH-ner LIM-foh-site in-FYOO-zhun)

A type of therapy in which lymphocytes from the blood of a donor are given to a patient who has already received a stem cell transplant from the same donor. The donor lymphocytes may kill remaining cancer cells. Donor lymphocyte infusion is used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) that has come back and myeloma. It is being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer.

Figure

Donor lymphocyte infusion. Lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) from the blood of a donor are given to a patient. (Panel 1): Blood is taken from a vein in the donor’s arm. The blood flows through an apheresis machine that removes the lymphocytes. (more...)