Peripheral blood stem cell autografts for the treatment of childhood cancer: a review of the Japanese experience. Japanese Cooperative Study Group of PBSCT (JCSG/PBSCT).

Harvesting peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) for autografts (PBSCT) in children with active cancers is a safe and reliable procedure with a low incidence of serious morbidity. A significant correlation between the number of infused CFU-GM and the time to both granulocyte and platelet engraftment was found. Cells induced by G-CSF could speed the recovery of granulocyte or platelet counts after PBSCT. In terms of preserving engraftment potential, cryopreservation of PBSC by a simplified uncontrolled-rate method is at least as effective as the traditional controlled-rate freezing procedure with a programmed freezer. As the serum G-CSF level increases immediately following infusion of PBSC graft, therapy with G-CSF may have only a limited ability to further enhance hematopoietic recovery after PBSCT. Preliminary results of high-dose chemotherapy without TBI and PBSCT for the treatment of children with relapsed ALL are encouraging.