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Progenitor Cell Dose

A low CD34+ cell dose results in higher mortality and poorer survival after blood or marrow stem cell transplantation from HLA-identical siblings: should 2 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg be considered the minimum threshold?

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 26, pages 489–496 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

We studied the effect of the CD34+ cell dose on transplant-related mortality (TRM) and survival in 39 patients randomized to receive lenograstim-mobilized PBSCT (n= 20) or BMT (n = 19) from HLA-identical siblings. Both marrow and blood were harvested, and one infused in a double-blind fashion. The median nucleated (7.0 vs 3.2 × 108/kg; P < 0.0001), cd34+ (3.7 vs 1.5 × 106/kg; P = 0.002), CFU-GM (42 vs 19 × 104/kg; P= 0.002), and CD3+ (1.9 vs 0.3 × 108/kg; P < 0.0001) cell doses with pbsct were higher. thirteen patients (6 bmt and 7 pbsct) experienced trm at 15–733 days (median 57); 10 of 20 receiving <2 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg compared with three of 19 receiving ⩾2. Eight of 20 patients receiving <2 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg are alive compared with 14 of 19 receiving ⩾2. In Cox analysis, CD34+ cell dose ⩾2 × 106/kg was associated with lower TRM (RR 0.2, P = 0.01), and higher overall (RR 3.7, P = 0.01) and event-free (RR 3.2, P = 0.02) survival. Other cell populations and the source of stem cells did not affect TRM or survival. We conclude that 2 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg may be the ideal minimum cell dose for allogeneic transplantation although lower doses do not preclude successful therapy. Since the likelihood of obtaining this threshold CD34+ cell number is significantly greater from blood than marrow, PBSCT may be preferable to marrow for allografts from HLA-identical siblings. Bone Marrow Transplantation (2000) 26, 489–496.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by Chugai Pharma UK, the Bud Flanagan Leukaemia Fund, and the Cancer Research Campaign.

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  1. J Mehta

    Present address: Division of Transplantation Medicine, South Carolina Cancer Center, Columbia, South Carolina, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leukaemia Unit, Royal Marsden Hospital, Surrey, UK

    S Singhal, R Powles, J Treleaven, S Kulkarni, B Sirohi, C Horton, B Millar, V Shepherd, D Tait, R Saso & J Mehta

  2. Chugai Pharma, London, UK

    A Rowland & S Long

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Singhal, S., Powles, R., Treleaven, J. et al. A low CD34+ cell dose results in higher mortality and poorer survival after blood or marrow stem cell transplantation from HLA-identical siblings: should 2 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg be considered the minimum threshold?. Bone Marrow Transplant 26, 489–496 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1702542

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