¹King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Correspondence: Dr S Akhtar, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, P.O. Box 3354, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. E-mails: sakhtar@kfshrc.edu.sa; akhtars18@hotmail.com

Received 14 July 2005; Revised 21 September 2005; Accepted 4 October 2005; Published online 9 January 2006.

Abstract

From 1996 to November 2004, 131 consecutive patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large cell lymphoma (DLCL) and Hodgkin's lymphoma (HD) received ESHAP as mobilization chemotherapy before autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplant (ASCT). Patients received fixed dose G-CSF 300 g SC bid starting 24–36 h after finishing mobilizing ESHAP. In all, four patients failed mobilization and are excluded. Characteristics of 127 patients: 68 males: 59 females. DLCL 49: HD 78. Initial stage I:II:III:IV:unknown was 15:34:33:42:3. Median age at ASCT 26 years. Median prior chemotherapy cycles were six {<6 (17 patients), 6–8 (90 patients), >8 (20 patients)}. Median ESHAP cycle used as mobilizer was third. Patients required 1, 2, 3, 4 apheresis were 93:25:8:1. Median total CD34+ cells/kg collected were 6.9 10⁶ (DLCL 5.17 10⁶ and HD 7.6 10⁶), patients weighing 70 kg (93 patients) 6.54 10⁶ and >70 kg (34 patients) 7.44 10⁶ (P=0.59), one apheresis (93 patients) 8.6 10⁶/kg and >1 apheresis (34 patients) 4.5 10⁶ (P=0.001). We conclude that ESHAP and G-CSF 300 g SC bid is an effective mobilizing regimen even in patients >70 kg and most patients require only 1–2 apheresis.