The use of plerixafor in selected high-risk patients and poor mobilizers did not increase the total charges associated with stem cell collection when compared with poor mobilizers treated with G-CSF alone. The targeted use of plerixafor increased the overall success rate of mobilizing a minimum number of CD34+ cells from 93% to 98% in patients with hematologic malignancies scheduled for autotransplant and increased the overall charges associated with stem cell collection in all patients by an average of 17%.

In the majority of patients, the first day of apheresis occurred 11 to 13 days after the last dose of chemotherapy with a variety of different chemotherapy regimens. Administering the last dose of chemotherapy on Thursday or Friday versus Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday was associated with a 77 percent lower incidence in the frequency of weekend apheresis collections (p < 0.001).

High-dose chemotherapy and/or radiation followed by transplantation of allogeneic bone marrow (BM) or blood

Background To investigate whether granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) injection in lower adipose-tissue-containing sites (arms and legs) would result in a lower exposure and reduced stem cell collection efficiency compared with injection into abdominal skin. Study Design and Methods We completed a prospective randomized study to determine the efficacy and tolerability of different injection sites for patients with multiple myeloma or lymphoma undergoing stem cell mobilization and apheresis. Primary end-points were the number of CD34+ cells collected and the number of days of apheresis. Forty patients were randomized to receive cytokine injections in their abdomen (group A) or extremities (group B). Randomization was stratified based upon diagnosis (myeloma; N=29 vs. lymphoma; N=11), age, and mobilization strategy, and balanced across demographic factors and body mass index. Results 35 subjects were evaluable for the primary end-point: 18 in group A and 17 in group B. One evaluable subject in each group failed to collect a minimum dose of at least 2.0 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg. The mean numbers of CD34+ cells (±SD) collected were not different between groups A and B (9.15 ± 4.7 × 106/kg versus 9.85 ± 5 × 106/kg, respectively; p=NS) following a median of 2 days apheresis. Adverse events were not different between the two groups. Conclusion The site of G-CSF administration does not affect the number of CD34+ cells collected by apheresis or the duration of apheresis needed to reach the target cell dose.

No abstract