Introduction:

In order to carry out an autologous transplantation, hematopoietic stem cells should be mobilized to peripheral blood and later collected by apheresis. The CD34+ cell count is a tool to establish the optimal time to begin the apheresis procedure.

Objective:

To evaluate the association between peripheral blood CD34+ cell count and the successful collection of hematopoietic stem cells.

Materials and methods:

A predictive test evaluation study was carried out to establish the usefulness of peripheral blood CD34+ cell count as a predictor of successful stem cell collection in patients that will receive an autologous transplantation.

Results:

77 patients were included (median age: 49 years; range: 5-66). The predominant baseline diagnosis was lymphoma (53.2 %). The percentage of patients with successful harvest of hematopoietic stem cells was proportional to the number of CD34+ cells in peripheral blood at the end of the mobilization procedure. We propose that more than 15 CD34+ cells/µL must be present in order to achieve an adequate collection of hematopoietic stem cells.

Conclusion:

Peripheral blood CD34+ cell count is a useful tool to predict the successful collection of hematopoietic stem cells.

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