CIRCULATING STEM-CELL COLLECTION IN LYMPHOMA AND MYELOMA AFTER MOBILIZATION WITH CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE AND GRANULOCYTE-COLONY-STIMULATING FACTORFOR AUTOLOGOUS TRANSPLANTATION

We report the results of 72 leukapheresis procedures performed for aut ologous peripheral blood stem cell collection in 18 patients with lymp homa and myeloma, after combined mobilization with cyclophosphamide an d granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). The numbers of mononu clear cells (MNCs), CD34+ cells and granulocyte-macrophage colony-form ing units (CFU-GM) either in the peripheral circulation (preleukaphere sis sample) or in the product obtained from leukapheresis (leukapheres is sample) were evaluated. A highly superior proportion of CD34+ cells (14-fold) and CFU-GM (5-fold) resulted from the mobilization therapy. CFU-GM and CD34+ cells were highly enriched with respect to all MNCs (relative recoveries: 2.13, range 0.3-41, and 1.08, range 0.2-8.5, res pectively) due to an additional mobilization effect by the leukapheres is procedure. Also, a relatively strong linear correlation between the three different parameters was found in the leukapheresis product (CD 34+:CFU-GM, r=0.81; MNCs:CD34, r=0.69; MNCs:CFU-GM, r=0.75; CFU-GM:CD3 4+, and MNCs, r=0.85). Our data suggest that the number of MNCs and CD 34+ cells obtained after combined mobilization with cyclophosphamide a nd G-CSF can be used as predictor of the number of granulomonocytic pr ogenitors.