Purpose: We analyzed the safety and effectiveness of high-dose etoposide (2 g/m2) followed by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) as a peripheral-blood progenitor cell (PBPC) mobilization regimen and assessed extent of tumor reduction in patients with breast cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), and Hodgkin's disease (HD).
Patients and methods: One hundred sixty-nine consecutive patients who eventually underwent PBPC transplantation received treatment with high-dose etoposide (2 g/m2) followed by daily G-CSF (5 microg/kg).
Results: This mobilization method was effective in nearly all patients. No patients died of mobilization-related complications. A 50% reduction in tumor size was seen in 19% of assessable patients with breast cancer, 44% of those with NHL, and 38% of those with HD. Hematopoietic recovery (HR) following transplantation occurred in all patients. Patients with > or = 4 x 10(6) CD34+ cells/kg engrafted with neutrophils at a median of 9 days after transplant and patients with at least 1.2 x 10(6) CD34+/CD33- cells/kg achieved platelet recovery at a median of 15 days.
Conclusion: Etoposide plus G-CSF is an effective and safe method for mobilization of PBPCs. Etoposide is an effective agent in tumor reduction in NHL and HD and is less effective in breast cancer. The substantially lower incidence of prior exposure to this agent compared with cyclophosphamide favors its use.