Autologous stem cell transplantation has increased in France over the
last five years, mainly due to a marked increase in the number of auto
logous peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) transplants, which repr
esented about 66% of autologous transplants performed in 1994. This in
crease is related to the more rapid engraftment observed after PBPC tr
ansplantation than after bone marrow transplantation (BMT). The rate o
f haematopoietic recovery is significantly influenced by the dose of C
FU-GM infused, by use of haematopoietic growth factors for mobilizatio
n and to a lesser extent after transplantation and by types of conditi
oning regimens. However, the outcome of patients does not seem to diff
er following PBPC as compared to bone marrow transplantation.