PERIPHERAL-BLOOD STEM-CELL (PBSC) MOBILIZATION AND TRANSPLANTATION (PSCT) IN PATIENTS WITH MALIGNANT-LYMPHOMAS AND SOLID TUMORS

Peripheral blood stem cells can reconstitute bone marrow function afte r high-dose chemo-/radiotherapy. We describe 44 patients related with a three-day course of chemotherapy, for hematopoietic stem cell mobili zation, consisting of cyclophosphamide or ifosfamide and etoposide (ma lignant lymphoma and germ cell tumor) or a one-day course of 5-fluorou racil, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide (breast cancer), followed by th e administration of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating f actor (G-CSF). Maximum numbers peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) were recruited on day 9-10 of the G-CSF administration. The total number o f PBSC cells harvested with median 3.6 leukaphereses was 46 x 10(4)/kg (7.(5)-136) CFU-GM or 8 x 10(6)/kg (0.7-25.0)CD34+ cells for patients with solid tumors and 26 (4.5-258) CFU-GM's or 6.1 (1-0-39.2) CD34+ c ells for patients with malignant lymphomas. Thirty-five patients with malignant lymphomas or solid tumours received high-dose chemotherapy f ollowed by bone marrow and PBSC infusion (n=8) or PBSC cell infusion a lone (n=27). The recovery of granulocytes, platelets and reticulocytes after peripheral stem cell transplantation (PSCT) in addition to or i nstead of bone marrow, was markedly accelerated compared with the infu sion of BM alone. The accelerated haemopoietic recovery was associated with a reduction in platelet and red blood cell transfusion, reductio n in fever periods and earlier discharge from hospital. PSCT is an imp ortant alternative to autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT). T his transplantation technique may also allows application of multiple- cycle intensive chemotherapy