Peripheral blood stem cells collection in pediatric patients with thalassemia major weighing 20 kilogram or less

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the collection of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) in pediatric patients with thalassemia major (TM) weighing 20 kg or less. Methods PBSCs collection data of 170 pediatric patients with TM weighing 20 kg or less from January 2013 to December 2020 in our center were reviewed. Safety was assessed by the occurrence of adverse events during apheresis procedures, and efficacy was evaluated by the number of CD34+ cells collected. Results A total of 171 PBSCs procedures were performed on 170 patients with TM weighing 20 kg or less, with a median age of (4.98±1.53) years and a median weight of (17.30±2.18) kg. The probability of collecting at least 1×106 CD34+ cells/kg during a single course of apheresis was 99.41% (169/170), with a median (5.88±4.23) ×106 CD34+ cells collected per kg of weight of the recipient. A minimum pre-apheresis hemoglobin (Hb) of 60 g/L in patients with TM weighing 20 kg or less was safe and feasible. The most common adverse event of G-CSF mobilization in TM patients is bone pain, with the incidence of 7.65% (13/170), which was higher than that of healthy children donors in our center. The most common adverse events during the collection were pain at the puncture site of the femoral vein (6.47%, 11/170) and low pressure of the fluid (2.92%, 5/170). And no serious complications related to PBSCs mobilization, central venous catheter(CVC)placement or the apheresis procedure occurred. Conclusion PBSCs collection by COM.TEC blood cell separator in children weighing 20 kg or less is safe and efficacious.

Keywords

• peripheral blood stem cells
• mobilization
• collection
• 20 kg or less
• thalassemia major