GRANULOCYTE-COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR-COMBINED MARROW-ABLATIVE CHEMOTHERAPY AND AUTOLOGOUS BLOOD-CELL TRANSPLANTATION FOR THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH ACUTE MYELOGENOUS LEUKEMIA IN FIRST REMISSION

We conducted a clinical trial to increase the chemosensitivity of resi dual leukemic cells by combining G-CSF to marrow-ablative chemotherapy , including cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C), and facilitated by autologou s blood cell transplantation (ABCT) for treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in first complete remission. A total of 16 patients we re consecutively treated with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G -CSF)-combined high-dose chemotherapy (busulfan, etoposide and Ara-C) followed by autotransplantation of peripheral blood progenitor cells, which had been collected after the consolidation chemotherapy. At a me dian follow-up time of 44.5 months, the probability of 5-year event-fr ee survival was 74.5% with only three leukemic relapses. This prelimin ary observation suggests the effectiveness of G-CSF-combined condition ing and ABCT as a post-remission therapy for AML. (C) 1997 Elsevier Sc ience Ireland Ltd.