Plerixafor-augmented peripheral blood stem cell mobilization in AL amyloidosis with cardiac involvement: a case series.

Nearly half of AL amyloidosis patients have cardiac involvement, an independent predictor of poor prognosis. High-dose melphalan and autologous stem-cell transplantation (HDM/SCT) can induce complete hematologic responses and prolong survival in AL amyloidosis. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-induced mobilization of peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) in AL amyloidosis patients is associated with volume overload, arrhythmias and capillary leak syndrome. Plerixafor has a different mechanism of action and has non-overlapping toxicities with G-CSF. We describe our experience in five patients with AL amyloidosis and cardiac involvement who received plerixafor with G-CSF for PBSC mobilization. Median age was 56 years; two patients had undergone heart transplantation within the year prior to HDM/SCT. Three patients received plerixafor after an initial trial of mobilization with G-CSF alone. No patient had any significant toxicities during mobilization and PBSC collection. The median total yield of PBSCs collected was 5.9 × 10(6) CD34+ cells/kg; the median number of leukapheresis days was 2. Neutrophil engraftment after HDM/SCT occurred at a median of nine days, platelet engraftment at a median of 13 days. Plerixafor was effective and well tolerated when used upfront or as rescue for PBSC mobilization in AL amyloidosis patients with cardiac involvement.