PERIPHERAL-BLOOD STEM-CELL COLLECTION IN A PATIENT WITH CHRONIC MYELOGENOUS LEUKEMIA AND A HIGH CIRCULATING NUCLEATED RED-CELL FRACTION

A high level of circulating nucleated red blood cells (NRBC) in patien ts with chronic myeloproliferative syndromes could potentially complic ate peripheral blood stem cell (PSC) collection. The mononuclear NRBC might comprise a significant fraction of the total mononuclear cells i n the final product. We report a successful PSC collection in a patien t with more NRBC than WBC in the peripheral blood. A 27-year-old man w ith chronic myelogenous leukemia underwent eight PSC collection proced ures, seven using the Cobe Spectra (Spectra) and one using the Fenwal CS3000 Plus (CS). PSC product manipulations to remove NRBC were unnece ssary. As assessed by post-collection NRBC:WBC ratio as a percent of t he initial ratio, Spectra selectively harvested mononuclear leukocytes over NRBC. The collected products had a mean NRBC:WBC ratio that was 3.4% of the peripheral blood ratio. Adequate numbers of mononuclear le ukocytes were collected with less than 6% NRBC contamination. The sing le CS procedure resulted in a comparable NRBC reduction efficiency as the Spectra. We conclude that PSC harvest using automated blood cell s eparators from patients with a high level of circulating NRBC may resu lt in a product with an acceptable number of NRBC. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss , Inc.