The application of two different blood cell separators to harvest CD34+ cells in patients suffering from non Hodgkin's lymphoma.

From January 1996 until now, thirty-eight PBSC procedures were carried out on 20 patients suffering from NHL, mobilized by polichemotherapy regimens plus recombinant human Granulocyte-Growth Factor (rhG-CSF). Patients were enrolled in PBSC procedures using Dideco Excel (group A) and Cobe Spectra v.4.7 (group B) blood cell separators. Twelve patients were enrolled in group A (6 males and 6 females, median age 33) and 9 patients in group B (5 males and 4 females, median age 55). The mean White Blood Cell (WBC) and Mononuclear Cells Fraction (MNC) peripheral blood counts were not statistically different in either group and neither were blood CD34+ cell peripheral counts. CD34+ cell peripheral value was predictive of the CD34+ yield while mean values of harvested CD34+ cells were not significantly different. CD34+ cell efficiencies were statistically the same. The CD34+ cell purity of the apheresis harvest was statistically different between the two groups (group A = 3.0+/-2.2%; group B = 1+/-0.9%) p = 0.001. High CD34+ cell yields were observed in both groups which confirms that both blood cell separators are able to harvest hematopoietic progenitor cells from peripheral blood.