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Progenitor Cell Mobilization

Effect of rituximab on peripheral blood stem cell mobilization and engraftment kinetics in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 32, pages 139–143 (2003)Cite this article

Summary:

Rituximab is used for in vivo tumor cell purging for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) patients prior to autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT). However, its effects on PBSC mobilization and function are poorly understood. We compared the mobilization characteristics and engraftment kinetics of 13 NHL patients receiving and 34 NHL patients not receiving rituximab 6 months before PBSC mobilization. In the rituximab group, there was a significantly longer time to neutrophil engraftment (P=0.0466), a trend toward the need for BM harvest to supplement low-yield PBSC collections (31 vs 9%, P=0.08) and a significantly increased rate of bacteremia episodes (62 vs 26%, P=0.025). Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were significantly longer in the rituximab compared to the nonrituximab patients (P=0.049 and 0.042, respectively). However, patients in the nonrituximab group were at high risk for recurrence and expected to have shorter survival. Rituximab used within 6 months prior to collection may have a detrimental effect on PBSC mobilization and engraftment. However, rituximab is a major therapeutic breakthrough for NHL treatment and this negative effect may be offset by improved survival. Further studies are warranted in larger populations to determine the impact of rituximab on engraftment, PFS and OS.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to acknowledge the support of the staff of the Stem Cell Processing and Flow Cytometry Laboratories, and Therapeutic Apheresis, the clinical staff who cared for these patients, and the editorial assistance of Ms Dorothy Macchio.

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  1. M Benekli and T Hahn: Contributed equally to the study.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Medicine and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, USA

    M Benekli, T Hahn, F Shafi, A Qureshi, A R Alam, M S Czuczman, Z P Bernstein, A A Chanan-Khan, J L Becker & P L McCarthy Jr

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  1. M Benekli
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Benekli, M., Hahn, T., Shafi, F. et al. Effect of rituximab on peripheral blood stem cell mobilization and engraftment kinetics in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients. Bone Marrow Transplant 32, 139–143 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1704106

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