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Stem Cell Usage

Rituximab does not compromise the mobilization and engraftment of autologous peripheral blood stem cells in diffuse-large B-cell lymphoma

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 39, pages 523–527 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

To investigate effects of the preautografting administration of rituximab on the mobilization and engraftment of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC), we retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of 43 newly diagnosed diffuse-large B-cell lymphoma patients who received CHOP chemotherapy with or without rituximab as a first-line treatment before autologous PBSC transplantation (PBSCT). There was no difference in the number of CD34+ cells among PBSC between the non-rituximab and the rituximab groups. Although B-cells were completely depleted from PBSC in the rituximab group, we found no difference in the expression of CXCR-4, VLA-4 and c-Kit on PBSC, indicating that rituximab did not affect the expression of these adhesion molecules, which might be involved in the mechanism of mobilization. There was no significant difference in the recovery of neutrophils and platelets, transplant-related toxicity and post-transplant complications between the two groups. Despite the short follow-up, there was no significant difference in progression-free survival between the two groups. These results indicated no adverse effect of rituximab on the mobilization and engraftment of PBSC. Larger studies are required to determine the impact of rituximab on the mobilization and function of PBSC as well as whether a survival advantage exists in patients who undergo auto-PBSCT with rituximab.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the medical and nursing staff working on the Fukuoka Blood and Marrow Transplantation Group for providing patients samples and information. We also are grateful to Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. (Tokyo, Japan) for information about rituximab. This work was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid from Daiwa Securities Health Foundation, Tokyo, Japan to TM.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medicine and Biosystemic Science, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan

    K Kamezaki, Y Kikushige, T Miyamoto, A Nonami, K Takenaka, N Harada, T Fukuda, M Harada & K Nagafuji

  2. Department of Hematology, Hamanomachi General Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan

    A Numata, K Takase, H Henzan, K Kato, F Arima & T Eto

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Kitakyushu Municipal Medical Center, Fukuoka, Japan

    K Aoki & Y Ohno

  4. Department of Hematology, Harasanshin General Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan

    T Kamimura & S Hayashi

  5. Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

    T Fukuda

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  1. K Kamezaki
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Correspondence to T Miyamoto.

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Kamezaki, K., Kikushige, Y., Numata, A. et al. Rituximab does not compromise the mobilization and engraftment of autologous peripheral blood stem cells in diffuse-large B-cell lymphoma. Bone Marrow Transplant 39, 523–527 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1705649

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1705649

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