Recombinant Human Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-stimulating Factor for the Mobilization of Hemopoietic Progenitors Prior to Autologous Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation

Autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) is based on the administration of myeloablative chemotherapy and/or total body irradiation (TBI) followed by the infusion of autologous bone marrow-derived hemopoietic stem cells [1]. An alternative to the reinfusion of bone marrow is the transplantation of peripheral blood-derived stem cells (ABSCT) [2, 3]. ABSCT provides a new therapeutical approach, especially for those patients with previous radiotherapy involving the sites of bone marrow harvesting. An efficient method of increasing the number of circulating stem cells prior to the collection is the administration of cytoreductive chemotherapy to induce a rebound of circulating hemopoietic progenitors [2, 4]. With the availability of the recombinant human hemopoietic growth factors, a new and more physiological method for the mobilization of hemopoietic stem cells from the bone marrow is feasible [5].