Variations in the content of CD34+ cells in the peripheral blood of cancer patients receiving out-patient chemotherapy.
BACKGROUND
The routine measurement of CD34+ cells in non-mobilized peripheral blood, using flow cytometry, has been limited by the technical difficulty of measuring the absolute numbers of rare populations of cells.


METHODS
We studied the numbers of CD34+ cells in the peripheral blood of 55 normal volunteers and 476 cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, in a university out-patient hematology/oncology clinic. Blood samples were stained with MAbs to CD34, CD45 and a DNA-specific dye, mixed with a defined number of fluorescent True-Count beads and analyzed by flow cytometry, using an automated acquisition and analysis program.


RESULTS
The mean (+/- SD) CD34+ cell count among normal volunteers and previously untreated cancer patients were 1.4 +/- 1.4 and 1.8 +/- 2.8 CD34+ cells/microL, was stable among normal volunteers and patients receiving chemotherapy for prostate or breast cancer. In contrast, the CD34+ cell count among patients receiving dose-intensive weekly chemotherapy for the treatment of Hodgkin's disease or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma varied between 1 cell/microL to > 300 CD34+ cells/microL in a predictable and cyclic fashion.


CONCLUSIONS
The study demonstrates that the routine measurement of the number of CD34+ cells in peripheral blood samples can be performed using an automated single platform program in an out-patient setting. The availability of an automated data acquisition and analysis program could facilitate standardization of counting CD34+ cells in clinical samples analyzed at different laboratory sites.
Waller
E K
EK
Stem Cell Biology Program, Emory University School of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, 1639 Pierce Drive, Room 2123, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
Barlett
N
N
Chen
C H
CH
Mujic
V
V
Sussman
H
H
Toepker
S
S
Grenier
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010045:Outpatients; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
D018952:Antigens, CD34; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil; D008727:Methotrexate