Crohn’s disease patients effectively mobilize peripheral blood stem cells to perform autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Abstract

BackgroundTreatment with high doses chemotherapy followed by autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation is promising for refractory Crohn’s disease patients with no therapeutic option and at imminent risk of further surgeries.ObjectivesTo evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of haematopoietic progenitor cell mobilization in a group of Crohn’s disease patients preparing for autologous unselected haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a single institution. This is the first study to evaluate mobilization for Crohn’s disease.MethodsPatients were selected according to criteria of the European Bone Marrow Transplant Society.ResultsAll patients mobilized with the mean number of haematopoietic progenitor cells obtained and infused being 16.17 × 106/CD34+/kg. Most patients required only one leukapheresis session to reach the ideal number of cells. Grafting occurred around ten days after cells infusion. Complications and adverse events during the mobilization period were rare with only one patient presenting sepsis as a relevant event in the period.Most patients 20 (70%) had anaemia from the beginning of the mobilization but only 11 (37.9%) received packed red blood cell transfusions.ConclusionMobilization in patients with Crohn’s disease is effective and it seems they are good mobilizers.