title: Peripheral blood stem cell collection and transplantation in paediatric malignancies: a monocentric experience.
abstract: Thirty-seven patients underwent peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collection from May 1994 to May 1997. Twenty-five were males and 12 were females, the median age at collection was 11.5 years (range 1-27.4) and the median weight was 38 kg (range 9-80). As mobilising chemotherapy, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, doxorubicin and cytosine arabinoside were the drugs most frequently used in association with G-CSF for a total of 47 courses. Sixty-one aphereses were performed with a median collection of CD34+ and CFU-GM cells/kg of 3.6 x 10(6) (range 0.6-31.8) and 24.4 x 10(4) (range 0.1-1260), respectively. Minimal residual disease (MRD) was found in five of the 30 investigated aphereses. Twenty-one of the 37 patients underwent high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell rescue: in seven the stem cell source was peripheral blood and bone marrow. The median duration of hospitalization was 18 days for the PBSC group and 23 days for the PBSC/ABMT group. Overall survival was 78.7% at a median follow-up of 18 months (range 2-31) and the DFS was 52% without difference depending on stem cell source. Compared to a historical group of ABMT patients, the PBSC group showed a statistical advantage in terms of neutrophils and platelet engraftment, blood and platelet requirements, and length of hospitalization. PBSC collection is a feasible procedure also in the paediatric setting providing that vascular access is adequate. As already reported, PBSC transplant results in faster engraftment and shorter hospitalization that could allow a better utilization of health financial resources. The question whether the source of stem cells could influence transplant outcome would require a prospective randomised study.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Onco-Ematologia Pediatrica, Complesso Università-Azienda Ospedale di Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Petris
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Silvestro
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cesaro
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Messina
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marson
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Destro
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Gazzola
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Masiero
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Varotto
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Calore
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scarzello
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zanesco
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019650:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007937:Leukapheresis; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors