Source of Stem Cell Rescue: Bone Marrow versus Peripheral Blood Progenitors

Sustained hematopoiesis can be restored after dose-intensive chemotherapy utilizing stem cells from either bone marrow and/or peripheral blood. Numerous reports have demonstrated the effectiveness of peripheral blood progenitors (PBPC) in restoring hematopoiesis. Here, we review data comparing the recovery among patients rescued with various stem cell sources after dose-intensive therapy. PBPC used alone or to augment autologous bone marrow to achieve timely hematopoietic recovery after dose-intensive therapy can result in shortened hospital stays, decreased transfusion requirements, and antibiotic usage. This will lead to increased application of dose-intensive therapy either singly or in multiple courses to treat various malignancies.