PERIPHERAL-BLOOD PROGENITOR CELLS FOR AUTOLOGOUS TRANSPLANT IN CHILDREN

Autologous peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation has become an accepted procedure to support high dose chemotherapy in adults and children with cancer. The use of hematopoietic growth factors alone f or mobilization of PBSC avoids the potential side effects of myelotoxi c regimens and is as effective in reconstituting hematopoiesis as othe r mobilization methods. Many problems associated with apheresis proced ures arise when PBPCs are harvested in small children. Large-volume-le ukapheresis using a continuous flow blood cell separator allows us the collection of peripheral blood stem cells in children, even in the sm all ones. The speed of hematological recovery highly correlates with t he number of CD34(+) infused cells. We consider that a CD34(+) cell do se of 5.0 x 10(6)/kg may be sufficient to ensure a rapid neutrophil an d platelet recovery in pediatric patients mobilized by G-CSF.