Extended duration between harvest and re-infusion of human bone marrow stored at room temperature

Measurable residual disease in acute myeloid leukemia using flow cytometry: approaches for harmonization/standardization

Introduction: Measurable residual disease (MRD) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a rapidly evolving area with many institutes embarking on it, both in academic and pharmaceutical settings. However, there is a multitude of approaches to design, perform, and report flow cytometric MRD. Together with the long-term experience needed, this makes flow cytometric MRD in AML nonstandardized and time-consuming. Areas covered: This paper briefly summarizes critical issues, like sample preparation and transport, markers and fluorochromes of choice, but in particular focuses on the main issues, which includes specificity and sensitivity, hereby providing a new model that may circumvent the main disadvantages of the present approaches. New approaches that may add to the value of flow cytometric MRD includes assessment of leukemia stem cells, MRD in peripheral blood, and approaches to use multidimensional image analysis. Expert commentary: MRD in AML requires standardization/harmonization on many aspects, for which the present paper offers possible guidelines.

Hematologic reconstitution following high-dose and supralethal chemoradiotherapy using stored, noncryopreserved autologous hematopoietic stem cells

Although cryopreservation is the standard for autotransplantation, it has logistic and financial disadvantages in undeveloped countries such as Colombia. In 47 patients, peripheral blood was refrigerated at 4 degrees C up to 144 h before autotransplantation. For mobilization, 27 men and 20 women of median age 37 years affected with hematologic malignancies received G-CSF. The 17 patients in Group 1 showed pre-refrigeration CFU-GM of 2.62 x 10(5)/kg (range 0.36 to 16.6 x 10(5)/kg) and at re-infusion, 1.36 x 10(5)/kg (range 0 to 6.32 x 10(5)/kg) of 83% viability (range, 78% to 96%). These patients showed >0.5 x 10(9)/L granulocytes on day +11 (range, 9 to 15) and >20 x 10(9)/L platelets on day +16 (range, 11 to 44). The 25 patients in Group 2 showed CD34 of 3.9 x 10(6)/kg (range, 0.16 to 9 x 10(6)/kg) and mononuclear cell count (MNC) of 8.7 x 10(8)/kg, reaching >0.5 x 10(9)/L granulocytes at day +13 (range, 10 to 17) and >20 x 10(9)/L on day +15 (range, 14 to 20). Among the 5 patients in Group 3, the average of MNC of 12.7 x 10(8)/kg was reached and >0.5 x 10(9)/L granulocytes on day 11 (range, 10 to 16) and >20 x 10(9)/L on day 14 (range, 10 to 18). No differences were observed between the groups. Refrigeration of stem cells appears to be a simple, effective, and inexpensive method that should be considered for autotransplants within a few days of harvesting when resources are limited for long-term storage.