title: Factors influencing engraftment in autologous peripheral stem cell transplantation. The experience of a local Kuwaiti transplantation center.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess factors affecting engraftment among patients with lymphoproliferative disorders treated with high dose-chemotherapy and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-four patients with lymphoproliferative disorders were treated from March 2000 to April 2006, at the Hamid Al-Essa Multiorgan Transplant Center, Kuwait. There were 37 males and 17 females, with a median age of 43 years (range 12-60). The cohort included 13 Hodgkin's lymphoma, 31 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and 10 multiple myeloma cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median number of infused CD34+ cells was 1.7x10(6) per kg (0.38-15). The medians for absolute neutrophil count (ANC) and platelet (PLT) engraftment were 12 days (10-15) and 11 days (6-33). The CD34+ cell dose and timing of granulocyte-colony stimulating growth factor administration had no significant influence on ANC engraftment (p=0.3 and p=0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results imply that the CD34+ cell dose is the most important predictor of hematopoietic engraftment, namely PLT engraftment. The other factors studied had no clear influence on engraftment kinetics in this cohort.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kuwait University, State of Kuwait, PO Box 24923, Safat 13110, Kuwait. salem61@gmail.com
authors.forename: Salem H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Alshemmari
authors.forename: Reem M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ameen
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gyrafas
authors.forename: Dana A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Alqallaf
authors.forename: Kamlesh P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Sajnani
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007730:Kuwait; D008232:Lymphoproliferative Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036102:Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34