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Updated: Aug 10, 2026
Phenotypic Analysis and Isolation of Murine Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Lineage-committed Progenitors
Published on: July 8, 2012
Immunophenotypic analysis of peripheral blood stem cell harvests from patients with multiple myeloma
Gema Mateo1, Mercedes Corral, Julia Almeida
1Hematology Department, University of Salamanca, Spain.
Insights
Peripheral blood is a less contaminated source for autologous transplants compared to bone marrow, reducing myelomatous plasma cell infusion. Multiparameter immunophenotyping aids in assessing plasma cell contamination in apheresis products.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Immunology
- Oncology
Background:
- Four-color multiparameter immunophenotyping distinguishes between myelomatous and normal plasma cells (PC).
- Evaluating the plasma cell compartment is crucial for autologous transplantation in multiple myeloma (MM).
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess peripheral blood contamination versus bone marrow for autologous transplants.
- To determine the impact of growth factors on mobilizing myelomatous PC.
- To quantify myelomatous PC contamination in apheresis products and changes during collection.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed 90 apheresis products and paired bone marrow/peripheral blood samples from 40 MM patients using 4-color immunophenotyping.
- Evaluated plasma cell compartment composition in peripheral blood stem cell harvests.
Main Results:
- Pre-mobilization bone marrow was always contaminated; post-mobilization peripheral blood showed 41% contamination, reducing myelomatous PC infusion by >5x10(5).
- Cytokine mobilization expanded normal PC, increasing circulating PC counts.
- 48% of apheresis harvests were contaminated, with normal PC usually predominant; no significant PC changes occurred in the first three apheresis days.
Conclusions:
- Peripheral blood is a less contaminated source for autologous transplants than bone marrow.
- Multiparameter immunophenotyping is effective for evaluating plasma cell contamination in apheresis products.
Background And Objectives:
Four-color multiparameter immunophenotyping has recently proven to be an attractive technique for evaluating the plasma cell (PC) compartment since it allows discrimination between myelomatous and normal PC. This study was designed to investigate: i) whether peripheral blood is less contaminated than bone marrow as a source for an autologous transplant; ii) the effect of growth factors on mobilizing myelomatous PC into peripheral blood; iii) the degree of contamination by myelomatous PC in apheresis samples; and iv) whether the number of PC increases during the last days of apheresis.
Design And Methods:
Using 4-color antigen staining we investigated the composition of the PC compartment in 90 apheresis products from 40 patients with MM; in 17 cases bone marrow and peripheral blood samples were also simultaneously evaluated.
Results:
(i) All pre-mobilization bone marrow samples analyzed were always contaminated with myelomatous PC whereas only 41% of the post-mobilization peripheral blood samples were contaminated. Moreover, the use of peripheral blood would lead to a reduction of >5x10(5) infused myelomatous PC; (ii) mobilization with cytokines increased the number of circulating PC, generally because of an expansion of the normal PC population; (iii) forty-eight percent of all peripheral blood stem cell harvests were contaminated with myelomatous PC, although normal PC usually represented the predominant population; (iv) no significant changes were observed in the amount of contaminating myelomatous PC during the first three days of apheresis.
Interpretation And Conclusions:
Multiparameter immunophenotyping is a useful approach for investigating the PC compartment in apheresis products.
