HLA antigens in Sicilian patients affected by chronic myelogenous leukaemia.

SUMMARY HLA antigens were investigated in Sicilian patients with chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) and in Sicilian healthy controls. The frequency of the HLA-DRw6 antigen was significantly decreased in the group of patients. These results suggest that DRw6 may be a marker for decreased susceptibility to the etiological or pathogenic mechanism(s) which produce CMLs.