Comparison of CD34+ cell collection on the CS-3000+ and Amicus blood cell separators

BACKGROUND: Mobilized PBPCs, detectable on the basis of CD34 expression, can be collected on various cell separators. The CD34+ cell collection efficiencies of two cell separators (CS‐3000+ and Amicus, Baxter) were tested on two comparable groups of oncology patients. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Leukapheresis assisted by the standard manufacturer's software and variables settings was performed in 37 (CS‐3000+) and 34 (Amicus) patients (total of 83 and 67 collections, respectively) after chemotherapy plus G‐CSF treatment. RESULTS: The total CD34+ cell count per leukapheresis components as well as per kg of patient's body weight were twofold higher by using the Amicus than the CS‐3000+ device. Platelet contamination in Amicus components was twice as low compared to the CS3000+. Mean Amicus CD34+ collection efficiency (CD34+eff) (54.9 ± 27.2%) was significantly higher (p < 0.015) than the CS‐3000+ (46.4 ± 16.7%) one. However, Amicus CD34+eff decreased progressively as the peripheral blood CD34+ concentrations increases over 200 CD34+ cells per µL. A parallel increase in the WBC counts in these cases seems to be the principal cause of decrease in CD34+eff (evident for WBCs >40 × 103/µL and most pronounced for WBCs >60 × 103/µL). CONCLUSIONS: Mean CD34+eff and CD34+ cell yields were better on Amicus than on CS‐3000+. CD34+eff of Amicus, however, seems to be related to the initial WBC counts, decreasing progressively when WBC increased over 4 × 103 per µL that coincided with the increase in CD34+ cell concentrations. For these cases, the volume and duration of cycles should be adapted to optimize CD34+ collections by using Amicus separators.