Overview of peripheral blood progenitor cell usage in France

Peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) transplantation offers a number of advantages over the use of bone marrow (BM) cells. Both the number and percentage of transplants performed with blood cells in France increased dramatically from 1990 to 1992. This report presents an analysis of 573 patients who underwent autologous transplantation of PBPC without BM. Approximately 50% received total body irradiation (TBI) and 12% received busulphan (Bu). The 200 patients receiving haematopoietic growth factors (HGF) for mobilisation showed an increase in the number of CFU-GM and CD34+ cells collected. Multivariate analysis showed that granulocyte recovery was significantly influenced, positively, by the number of CFU-GM cells infused, and by the use of HGF both for PBPC mobilisation and after transplantation; and negatively by the use of Bu. Further studies are still required to establish whether PBPC, in addition to reducing the duration of marrow aplasia, will also lead to decrease in transplant-related mortality or morbidity.