GRANULOCYTE-COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR (G-CSF) MEDIATED MOBILIZATION OF LEUKEMIC-CELLS IN PHILADELPHIA-CHROMOSOME-POSITIVE ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC-LEUKEMIA EXPRESSING MYELOID ANTIGENS (MY+PH+ALL)

The therapeutic benefit of G-CSF in the treatment of acute lymphoblast ic leukemia has been well established. G-CSF has been used to shorten neutropenia induced by conventional dose cytotoxic chemotherapy and al logeneic bone marrow transplantation. Recently autologous peripheral b lood progenitor cell transplantation has been explored to treat high-r isk ALL. Several in vitro studies suggest that subpopulations of lymph oblasts express G-CSF receptors, Furthermore, enhanced growth of Ph+ A LL cells expressing myeloid antigens stimulated by G-CSF has been demo nstrated in vitro. However, the clinical relevance of these findings h as been questioned. We report a patient with my(+)Ph(+)ALL in whom the administration of G-CSF after high-dose Cytarabin and Mitoxantrone le d to a significant mobilization of leukemic cells and contamination of the stem cell harvest during cytologic marrow remission. (C) 1998 Wil ey-Liss, Inc.