Peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation in France

Autologous stem cell transplantation has increased in France over the last five years, mainly due to a marked increase in the number of autologous peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) transplants, which represented about 66% of autologous transplants performed in 1994. This increase is related to the more rapid engraftment observed after PBPC transplantation than after bone marrow transplantation (BMT). The rate of haematopoietic recovery is significantly influenced by the dose of CFU-GM infused, by use of haematopoietic growth factors for mobilization and to a lesser extent after transplantation and by types of conditioning regimens. However, the outcome of patients does not seem to differ following PBPC as compared to bone marrow transplantation.