Background: Hematopoietic progenitor cells mobilized to peripheral blood by a chemotherapy combined or not with hematopoietic growth factors and harvested with cyto-apheresis (CTA) provide a rapid hematological recovery when infused as a support step after intensive chemotherapy (IC).
Methods: Cyclophosphamide (CI) 4 g/m2 and G-CSF 5 mcg/kg/d were administered to 19 patients with a solid tumor or lymphoma. Daily CTA were performed during hematological recovery to harvest > 2.5 x 10(6) cells CD34+/kg. Seventeen patients received IC with infusion of peripheral hematopoietic progenitor cells (PHPC) and G-CSF.
Results: A total of 52 CTA were performed, with a median (M) of 2 per patient. A M of 4.4 x 10(8) mononucleated cells/kg and 9.8 x 10(6) CD34+/kg were harvested per patient. Hematological recovery after IC with support of PHPC and G-CSF was rapid in all cases, but the aplastic period was shorter in the ten patients who received > 5 x 10(6) CD34+/kg cells than in the seven patients with < 5 x 10(6) kg: The median of recovery to neutrophils > 0.5 x 10(9)/l was 8 days compared with 9 days (p = 0.0005), to platelets > 20 x 10(9)/l of 8 days compared with 12 days (p = 0.001), and to platelets > 50 x 10(9)/l of 11 days compared with 14 days (p = 0.001).
Conclusions: Toxicity of IC (4 g/m2) with G-CSF is moderate and allows the harvesting of an adequate number of PHPC. Its infusion after IC provides a rapid hematological recovery, which was more marked in patients receiving 5 x 10(6) CD34+/kg cells, than with the same IC schedules of IC with autologous bone marrow transplantation.