Tumor Cell Contamination of Stem-Cell Apheresis Products has Little Clinical Effect (Breast Cancer Therapy-January 19, 2004)

Scientists in France conducted a study "to evaluate the presence of micrometastatic cells in the apheresis products from patients with breast cancer, and also to determine if repeated infusion of contaminated products had any clinical impact."

"A total of 94 patients with high-risk breast cancer were enrolled in a prospective single center study to evaluate the use of dose-intensified chemotherapy (doxorubicine 75 mg/m2 and cyclophosphamide 3000 or 6000 mg/m2 for four cycles) with repeated (x2) stem-cell reinfusion," explained F. Viret and coauthors at the Paoli-Calmettes Institute in Marseille.

"All women were monitored for the presence of metastatic cells in aphereses, collected after first course of intensive chemotherapy, and following additional mobilization with rhG-CSF [recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor]," they noted. "Epithelial cells were screened with monoclonal antibodies directed to cytokeratin."

"Eight of the 94 patients had detectable tumor cells in one or several aphereses collected after intensive chemotherapy; this was unrelated to other tumor characteristics, including size, histology, Scarff Bloom and Richardson (SBR) grading (presence or absence of hormone receptors)," test results showed. "Hematopoietic reconstitution was similar in the cells from these eight patients, and in the total patient population. Three of these eight patients relapsed."

"This study has confirmed that contamination of apheresis products remains a rare event, which does not seem to affect clinical evolution, even when reinfused into the patient," the researchers concluded.

Viret and colleagues published their study in Bone Marrow Transplantation (Occult tumor cell contamination in patients with stage II/III breast cancer receiving sequential high-dose chemotherapy. Bone Marrow Transplant, 2003;32(11):1059-1064).

For additional information, contact F. Viret, Paoli-Calmettes Institute, Department of Medical Oncology, 232 Blvd. St. Marguerite, F-13273 Marseille 9, France.

The information in this article comes under the major subject areas of Hematology, Oncology, Stem-Cell Transplantation, Transfusion Medicine and Women's Health. This article was prepared by Health & Medicine Week editors from staff and other reports.

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