COLLECTION OF NORMAL BLOOD REPOPULATING CELLS DURING EARLY HEMATOPOIETIC RECOVERY AFTER INTENSIVE CONVENTIONAL CHEMOTHERAPY IN CHRONIC MYELOGENOUS LEUKEMIA

Twenty-five patients with CML (chronic phase (CP): 15 patients; accele rated phase (AP): 10 patients) at a median of 40 months after diagnosi s and ineligible for allogeneic BMT, received an intensive chemotherap y regimen consisting of idarubicin, intermediate-dose ara-C and etopos ide (ICE protocol). All patients had previously received alpha-interfe ron and only two patients had had partial cytogenetic response. During recovery from chemotherapy-induced aplasia, blood progenitors cells ( BPC) were harvested by leukapheresis. All metaphases were found to be Ph-negative in the collection of 12 of 25 (48%) patients (CP: 9 of 15 (60%), AP: 3 of 10 (30%)) and a decrease of < 50% Ph-positive metaphas es was seen in an additional rive (CP: 4 patients; AP: 1 patient). The percentage of complete Ph-disappearance was 66% in patients receiving this procedure within the rirst 2 years of diagnosis and 30% in those treated after the second year of diagnosis. So far, the Ph-negative c ollections have been used in 9 patients (CP: 8 patients; AP: 1 patient ) as autograft after conditioning with total body irradiation/etoposid e/CY. Seven of 9 patients engrafted and 5 are alive and well, Ph-negat ive at 2+, 3+, 6+, 10+ and 18+ months.