Mobilisation of peripheral blood stem cells with IVE and G-CSF improves CD34+ cell yields and engraftment in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and Hodgkin's disease

The transplantation of mobilised peripheral blood stem cells is associated with more rapid engraftment than marrow transplantation. We have previously reported that G-IVE (G-CSF, ifosphamide, VP-16, epirubicin) improves the yield of CD34+ cells mobilised in patients with lymphoproliferative disorders compared with cyclophosphamide 3 g/m2 and G-CSF (G/CYCLO). In this study we have extended these observations to a larger series of patients including different lymphoma subtypes. Ninety-seven patients undergoing stem cell mobilisation were studied. Forty-two patients with lymphoproliferative disorders received G-IVE for mobilisation and 55 patients G/CYCLO. The median number of mobilised CD34+cells per leucapheresis was significantly higher for those patients receiving G-IVE: 5.82 x 106/kg (0.19-36) compared with 1.2 x 106/kg (0.04-17), P < 0.001 which resulted in a significantly reduced number of leucapheresis procedures performed in the G-IVE group. When patients were analysed dependent on underlying disease G-IVE mobilised significantly more CD34+cells per leucapheresis for all lymphoma types reaching 8.41 x 10(6)/kg (0.2-32) compared to 1.32 x 10(6)/kg (0. 06-17) for patients with high-grade NHL mobilised with G-IVE and C-GCSF respectively (P = 0.012). For patients with low-grade NHL 3. 12 x 10(6)/kg (0.10-24.39) compared to 1.08 x 10(6)/kg (0.04-9.74) were collected (P = 0.04) and for patients with Hodgkin's disease 3.02 x 10(6)/kg (1.48-36) and 1.04 x 10(6)/kg (0.1-12.3) (P = 0.001). Mobilisation with G-IVE resulted in the achievement of clinically significant CD34+ cell thresholds in a significantly higher proportion of patients compared to cyclophosphamide and G-CSF reaching >2.5 x 10(6)/kg CD34+ cells in 88% vs 62% (P = 0.004), >5 x 10(6)/kg in 67% vs18% (P = 0.001) and >10 x 10(6)/kg in 31% vs 14.5% (P = 0.05). Furthermore, an analysis of engraftment demonstrated that there was a significant reduction in the time to achieve platelet counts of >20 and >50 x 10(9)/l in patients receiving each incremental dose of CD34+ cells. We conclude that G-IVE mobilizes significantly more CD34+cells than G/CYCLO in patients with lymphoproliferative disorders. This effect is consistent in patients with high-grade NHL, low-grade NHL and HD and results in fewer failed stem collections and increased CD34+ cells available for transplantation which results in significantly accelerated platelet engraftment post transplant.