Autologous Stem Cell Transplant Recovery

Autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation has been a vital method of support following the use of high-dose chemotherapy with or without total body irradiation. This approach has been instrumental in reconstituting lympho-hematopoietic function after myeloablative treatment. The sources of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells are bone marrow or peripheral blood, which can be obtained from a related or unrelated donor.

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a critical and potentially curative treatment for various malignant and non-malignant diseases. In recent years, researchers have been exploring ways to predict the optimal time for initiating an efficient peripheral blood stem cell collection process.

Our study aimed to analyze the correlation between peripheral blood mononuclear cells (MNC) and CD34 levels, as well as between peripheral blood CD34 by flow cytometry and apheresis CD34 levels. The results showed that there was no reliable prediction possible for CD34 cells collected in apheresis while peripheral CD34 by flow cytometry is the strongest predictor for initiating stem cell collection.

Despite these findings, white blood cell count, mononuclear cell count, and other easily obtained parameters are still used to guide clinical practice in peripheral blood stem cell mobilization and collection. The importance of CD34+ cell count in peripheral blood before leukapheresis as a parameter to predict CD34 cell yield has been well accepted.

Autologous HCT is a standard treatment for relapsed, aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), with curative rates of around 40-45% in patients. In multiple myeloma, autologous HCT is often performed as upfront treatment in newly diagnosed transplant eligible patients after induction chemotherapy.

Overall, our study highlights the importance of understanding the correlation between peripheral blood MNC and CD34 levels to improve the success rate of autologous stem cell transplant recovery. Further research in this area may lead to more effective strategies for predicting optimal collection times and improving patient outcomes.

Autologous stem cell transplant recovery