Peripheral blood progenitor cell mobilization in three groups of subjects:A comparison of leukapheresis yield and timing

In this review. we analyse the peripheral blood progenitor cell mobilizatio n yield of three categories of subjects including group I, healthy allogene ic donors given growth factors; group 2. patients with haematological malig nancies mobilized with chemotherapy followed by growth factors; and soup 3, patients with solid rumours mobilized with growth factors alone. A wide va riation amongst subjects of the same category was observed. Group 1 and gro up 2 patients mobilized to a similar degree with a mean CD34(+) yield/kg of 3.44 x 10(6) and 3.39 x 10(6) respectively, for a standardized 2.5 times b lood volumes processed. This is superior to group 3 patients mobilized with growth factors alone who yielded only 0.99 x 10(6)/kg. A good correlation between peripheral blood CD34(+) count and leukapheresis yield was observed for all three groups. For healthy donors, prescheduled leukapheresis on da y 5 after growth factors commencement predicts good yield, obviating the ne ed for CD34 monitoring. On the contrary, most cancer patients mobilized wit h growth factors alone as in group 3 have inadequate single collection. The y invariably require cumulative yield of several collections for adequate d ose and hence predicting timing with peripheral blood CD34(+) count is not useful. In group 2 patients mobilized with chemotherapy followed by growth factors, we find that a peripheral blood CD34(+) count of 11/muL, predicts collection of more than 1 x 10(6) CD34(+) cell/kg/2.5 blood volumes, thus h elping to maximize yield and resources. J. Clin. Apheresis, 15:217-223, 200 0. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.