Failure to Achieve a Threshold Dose of CD34⁺CD110⁺ Progenitor Cells in the Graft Predicts Delayed Platelet Engraftment after Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation for Multiple Myeloma

Article Outline

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Materials and Methods
  • Patients
  • Mobilization and Cellular Processing
  • Immunophenotyping
  • Flow cytometry
  • Gating Strategy for the In-House Single-Platform Protocol
  • Hemopoietic Recovery after BMT
  • Statistical Analysis
• Results
  • Details of Patients and Cell Numbers in the Autologous Stem Cell Products
  • Platelet Reconstitution Post Autologous Transplantation
  • Engraftment Kinetics According to CD34+ Cell Doses of <2, 2-5, 5-10, and ≥10 × 106/kg
• Discussion
• Acknowledgments
• References
• Copyright

To predict platelet engraftment more accurately post autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT), we retrospectively analyzed the CD34⁺CD110⁺ (CD110 or c-mpl, thrombopoietin receptor) content in the grafts of 70 patients undergoing transplantation for multiple myeloma (MM) with an in-house flow cytometric assay. We found that infusing at least 3.0 × 10⁴ CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells/kg clearly separated the cohort into those who achieved platelet engraftment before or after 21 days. This early megakaryocyte cell marker correlated more closely with early versus delayed platelet engraftment than CD34⁺ measurements. Of the 70 patients, 4 required ≥ 21 days to achieve platelet transfusion independence. Three of the 4 received a CD34⁺CD110⁺ cell dose of <3.0 × 10⁴ cells/kg, whereas 66 of 70 patients who received >3.0 × 10⁴ CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells/kg achieved platelet transfusion independence in <21 days (P < .001). Infusing >3.0 × 10⁴ CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells/kg was sensitive (100%) and specific (75%) for achieving platelet engraftment within 21 days. Patients with delayed platelet engraftment received a median of 2.28 × 10⁴ CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells/kg versus 12.1 × 10⁴ cells/kg in those without this complication (P = .033). No effect was seen with neutrophil engraftment. Patients with early engraftment required a median of 1 platelet transfusion post transplant versus 2.5 in those with late engraftment (P = .009). A subthreshold absolute CD34⁺CD110⁺ cell dose in the graft is a reliable predictor of delayed platelet engraftment, and could be used to guide the timing and number of peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collections for patients with MM undergoing an SCT.

Key Words: Myeloma, Stem Cell Transplantation, Platelets, Engraftment

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Introduction 

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant plasma cell disorder accounting for approximately 10% of all hematologic cancers, and is characterized by an excessive numbers of plasma cells in the bone marrow (BM) and the overproduction of intact monoclonal immunoglobulin or free monoclonal light chains. The estimated annual incidence of MM in the United States is 4.3 new cases per 100,000. It may evolve from an asymptomatic premalignant condition termed monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) present in over 3% of the population above the age of 50 years, which evolves to myeloma at the rate of 1% per year [1]. Hypercalcemia, anemia, renal damage, impaired production of normal immunoglobulin, and increased susceptibility to bacterial infections are common clinical manifestations of MM, and it is often also characterized by diffuse osteoporosis. MM is considered a treatable but incurable disease, with a median survival of 4 to 5 years [2].

Treatment of MM depends on both age and performance status of the patient. The Intergroupe Francophone du Myelome (IFM) demonstrated that in patients <65 years of age and of reasonable performance status, high-dose therapy (HDT) followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT) produced high rates of complete (CR) and very good partial remission (PR) and improved overall survival (OS) compared with standard-dose chemotherapy alone [3]. More recently, it has been recognized that older patients including those above the age of 70 years with good performance status are also eligible for high-dose therapy and autologous transplantation 4, 5. Tandem (or sequential) autologous SCT was shown by the Arkansas group to increase the percentage of patients with CR and PR and improved OS in a multivariate analysis [6]. In a study that randomized patients to receive either a single or double autologous SCT for myeloma, a second autologous SCT produced a survival benefit in those who failed to achieve at least a very good partial response after the first transplant [7].

High-dose therapy results in an inevitable period of post transplant marrow hypoplasia during which clinical problems of infection and bleeding occur. The severity of the problems is proportional to the duration and severity of neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. Delayed platelet engraftment presents a particular problem that results in an increased risk of hemorrhage and in complications associated with transfusion of platelets or blood products. In addition, prolonged thrombocytopenia causes logistic problems, including increased hospital length of stay and increases resource utilization because of the need to obtain donor platelets.

Existing literature strongly supports the notion that the CD34⁺ content of the stem cell graft is the most important factor in predicting neutrophil and platelet engraftment after myeloablative (MA) chemotherapy. Rapid engraftment of all hemopoietic cell lines is consistently seen when >10 × 10⁶ CD34⁺ cells/kg are infused, but grafts containing this stem cell amount are rarely obtained [8]. Engraftment is less reliable at lower stem cell doses, with one-quarter of patients receiving <10 × 10⁶ CD34⁺ cells/kg failing to achieve a platelet count of 20 × 10⁹/L before day 21 in one study and an even higher percentage at the more common cell doses infused of 1-5 × 10⁶ cells/kg [8]. As the CD34⁺ cell count in the stem cell graft falls, the risk of delayed platelet engraftment rises. However, the measure is only approximate: in one study, 62% of patients receiving a CD34⁺ cell dose of <2 × 10⁶/kg failed to achieve a platelet count of ≥50 × 10⁹/L by day 21, but the remainder did so despite the low stem cell number infused [9]. Clearly, a better test is required to predict those transplant recipients likely to suffer delayed platelet engraftment, especially in the most common group receiving CD34⁺ cell doses <5 × 10⁶ cells/kg. Although the definition of delayed platelet engraftment after transplant is an arbitrary one, we have defined delayed platelet engraftment as a failure to achieve a platelet count of ≥20 × 10⁹/L by day 21 after autologous SCT. A platelet count of 20 × 10⁹/L represents a threshold at which the risk of spontaneous bleeding is considered to be low and is considered to be safe for withholding platelet transfusion.

We previously published a method for predicting delayed platelet engraftment by quantifying the number of CD34⁺ cells coexpressing the thrombopoietin receptor c-mpl (CD110) within the stem cell graft. Although CD110 expression on CD34⁺ cells is not restricted to megakaryocyte precursors [10], binding of thrombopoietin to c-mpl induces megakaryocyte proliferation and differentiation [11]. Our laboratory has developed a single-platform flow cytometric assay for enumerating the CD34⁺CD110⁺ stem cell content in the graft [12]. Our initial analysis of 39 patients undergoing autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) for a variety of hematologic malignancies demonstrated that achieving a threshold of 6 × 10⁴ CD34⁺CD110⁺ stem cells/kg reliably predicted early platelet engraftment [12]. In this study, we have attempted to validate our previous findings on a more homogeneous group of patients undergoing autologous SCT for MM. Our data indicate that within this cohort, achievement of a similar threshold dose of megakaryocyte progenitors also consistently predicts rapid platelet engraftment.

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Materials and Methods 

Patients 

We retrospectively analyzed the CD34⁺CD110⁺ stem cell component of 93 autologous PBSC harvests for 70 patients with MM processed at our cell processing facility at Westmead Hospital between 2001 and 2008. All patients undergoing PBSC collection and subsequent stem cell reinfusion for MM during this period were included in the study. Institutional ethics approval was given for the analysis. Disease, graft, and transplant characteristics are shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Details of the 70 Patients (72 Transplants) Undergoing Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation for Multiple Myeloma

Characteristic	Number
Number of patients (transplants)	70 (72)
Age (years)
Median (range)	58 (34-72)
Sex
Male	41
Female	29
Paraprotein isotype
IgG	47
IgA	17
Light chain only	6
Stage at diagnosis (Durie-Salmon)
Stage I	35
Stage II	23
Stage III	12
Lines of therapy prior to transplant
1	50
2	18
>2	2
Remission status prior to transplant
CR	3
PR	32
Stable disease (plateau)	29
Progressive disease	6
Source of stem cells
Peripheral blood	72
Bone marrow	0
Conditioning regimen
Melphalan 140 mg/m2	2
Melphalan 200 mg/m2	69
Melphalan 220 mg/m2	1
No. of transplants/patient
1	68
2	2
No. of collections/patient
1	51
2	15
3	4
CD34+ dose (×106/kg)
Median (range)	4.1 (1.1-15.6)
<2.0	4 (5.5%)
≥2.0 and <5.0	44 (61%)
≥5.0 and <10.0	20 (28%)
≥10.0	4 (5.5%)
CD34+CD110+ dose (×104/kg)
Median (range)	11.6 (2-128)
Days to platelet engraftment (≥20 × 109/L)
Median (range)	12.0 (1-34)
Days to ANC >0.5 × 109/L
Median (range)	13 (8-24)

ANC indicates absolute neutrophil count; CR, complete remission; PR, partial remission.

Mobilization and Cellular Processing 

PBSCs were mobilized using the combination of 4 g/m² cyclophosphamide (Cy) followed by granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) 10 μg/kg/day for 10 days before initial stem cell harvest. G-CSF commenced 48 hours after Cy administration. Apheresis was performed using the Cobe Spectra (Caridian BCT) using a 121 exchange protocol. Collection went ahead when the patient's PB white cell count was >1 × 10⁹/L and the morning PB CD34 count reached ≥20/μL. The required collection target was 2-5 × 10⁶ CD34⁺ cells/kg. Collection on 1 day was performed in 51 patients, 2 consecutive collections in 15 patients, and 3 consecutive collections in 4 patients. All collections were processed in a central laboratory with uniform cell processing techniques as described previously 12, 13. Two patients received tandem transplants. Collections were not split for these transplants, and the 2 patients received the entire harvest from 3, 2, 1, and 1 collections for the 4 transplants, respectively.

Immunophenotyping 

Absolute CD34⁺ cells and CD34 subsets expressing c-mpl were enumerated using an in-house single platform viable CD34 flow cytometric assay as previously detailed 12, 13. Briefly, for cryopreserved samples, 10 μL of hemopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) product, taken from cryovials, was stained with 5 μL of CD34 polycoerythrin (PE), 5 μL CD45 fluorescein isothyocyanate (FITC), 10 μL CD110 allophycocyanin (APC), and 10 μL 7-aminoactinomycin D (7AAD) in a TRUCOUNT tube (antibodies supplied by BD Bioscience, San Jose, CA) and incubated for 10 minutes at room temperature. There were no wash steps or lysis agent used in the procedure. An additional 450 μL of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) was added to the tube immediately before analysis by flow cytometry. Data acquisition was performed within 30 minutes of thawing for all samples.

Flow cytometry 

List mode data was acquired on 2 flow cytometers. Prior to 2006, data was acquired and analyzed on a FACS Calibur flow cytometer using Cell Quest 3.1 software (BD Bioscience). Post 2006 all acquisition and analysis was performed on a Cyan ADP using Summit 4.2 software (Beckman Coulter, Fullerton, CA). Instrument performance was validated by acquiring in parallel CD34⁺CD110⁺ data on 10 PBSC harvest samples. The coefficient of variation on these samples were < 1% and considered within acceptable limits.

Gating Strategy for the In-House Single-Platform Protocol 

A modification of the ISHAGE gating strategy described by Sutherland et al. [14] was used to obtain the absolute number of CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells per microlitre. Briefly, the instrument's threshold was set on CD45 FITC expression as this minimized debris and allowed the enumeration of TRUCOUNT beads. Viable leukocytes were identified as 7AAD-negative events and CD110⁺ expression was determined on the gated viable CD34⁺ population. Acquisition continued until a minimum of 100 CD34⁺CD110⁺ events were collected (this ensured the number of beads acquired always exceeded 3000). The number of CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells/μL was calculated as follows: (no. of viable CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells) × (total no. of beads per TRUCOUNT tube) divided by (no. of beads acquired × the sample volume in μL).

Hemopoietic Recovery after BMT 

Autologous transplantation was performed following therapy using conditioning chemotherapy at standard doses (Table 1). Leukocyte engraftment was defined as the first of 3 consecutive days that neutrophils exceeded 0.5 × 10⁹/L. Platelet engraftment was taken as the first day of platelet count ≥20 × 10⁹/L on at least 3 occasions, 7 days after the most recent platelet transfusion (as defined by the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry). Delayed platelet engraftment is defined as an unsupported platelet count <20 × 10⁹/L ≥21 days following autologous SCT. Platelet infusions were given as single units of pooled platelets. Infusions were given when platelet counts decreased below 15 × 10⁹/L or according to clinical needs determined by treating physicians. Packed red cell transfusions were administered when the hemoglobin concentration fell below 80 g/L or at the treating physician's discretion. Cytokines (G-CSF, erythropoietin, etc.) were not administered in the posttransplant period, and antibiotics were commenced at the first febrile neutropenic episode and continued until resolution of the neutropenia. The first-line antibiotic regimen consisted of either timentin (ticarcillin + clavulanate) or a fourth-generation cephalosporin in combination with an aminoglycoside.

Statistical Analysis 

The statistical software packages SPSS for Windows Version 15 and Prism Version 5 were used to analyze the data. Fisher's exact test was used to test for association between categoric variables and the Mann-Whitney test to assess for differences in the distribution of continuous variables between groups. The CD34⁺CD110⁺ counts were log transformed to approximate normality prior to analysis. Analysis of variance was used to test for differences between the distributions of the log transformed data in the subgroups of interest. Two-tailed tests with a significance level of <.05 were used throughout. A receiver operator characteristics (ROC) curve was used to illustrate the performance of CD110 in predicting early engraftment (<21 versus ≥21 days).

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Results 

Details of Patients and Cell Numbers in the Autologous Stem Cell Products 

The median age of the 70 patients analyzed was 58 years (range: 34-72 years). All patients undergoing autologous transplantation received at least 1.1 × 10⁶ CD34⁺ cells/kg of peripherally mobilized stem cells (Table 1). The median CD34⁺ cell number/kg infused was 4.1 × 10⁶/kg (range: 1.1-15.6). The median CD34⁺CD110⁺ cell number/kg infused was 11.6 × 10⁴/kg (range: 2-128). There was a weak correlation between the number of CD34⁺ and the number of CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells contained within grafts, r² = .46 (Figure 1). There were no statistically significant differences between the total number of CD34⁺CD110⁺ stem cells collected from those with stage 1 versus stage 2 versus stage 3 disease prior to transplant (P = .78), nor was a statistically significant difference seen between the total number of CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells collected and the number of prior lines of therapy patients had received (P = .51). Fifty percent of those who had received 2 or more lines of prior therapy did, however, require more than 1 leukapheresis to obtain a satisfactory stem cell collection of >2 × 10⁶ CD34⁺ cells/kg, compared to 18% who received only 1 prior therapy (P = .006). The median number of CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells × 10⁴/kg obtained from the first, second, and third days of autologous PBSC collections were 12.6 (range: 2-172), 11.2 (range: 3-91), and 11.0 (range: 10-17), whereas the averages were 30.6, 15.9, and 12.7, respectively. Those patients (27%) who underwent more than 1 leukapheresis tended to yield a higher number of CD34⁺CD110⁺ stem cells in subsequent collections (Figure 2). In 3 of 4 patients having 3 leukaphereses to achieve a target CD34 dose of >2 × 10⁶ CD34⁺ cells/kg, the number of CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells harvested increased with each day of apheresis, whereas the harvest of CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells increased on the second day in 12 of the 15 patients who had 2 leukaphereses. The increase in CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells exceeded that observed for CD34⁺ cells (median harvest number 2.4, 3.9, and 2.0 × 10⁶/kg on days 1, 2, and 3, respectively, for CD34⁺ cells; median harvest number 4.7, 12.2, and 9.5 × 10⁴/kg on days 1, 2, and 3 for CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells).

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• Figure 1 

  Correlation between absolute number of CD34⁺ and absolute number of CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells/kg infused at the time of transplant. R² = .46, n = 72.

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• Figure 2 

  Number of (A) CD34⁺ cells × 10⁶/kg and (B) CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells × 10⁴/kg harvested on each day of collection for patients having 2 leukaphereses (n = 15) or 3 leukaphereses (n = 4) in preparation for autologous stem cell transplantation.

Platelet Reconstitution Post Autologous Transplantation 

Sixty-six patients became platelet transfusion independent within 21 days of transplantation; all received >3.0 × 10⁴ CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells/kg. In all cases, platelet reconstitution was sustained. No patient achieving an unsupported platelet count ≥20 × 10⁹/L subsequently developed graft loss with platelet counts falling below this value. Four patients failed to achieve an unsupported platelet count of ≥20 × 10⁹/L before day 21, achieving platelet independence between days 21 and 34 (Table 2 and Figure 3A). Three of the 4 received a graft containing <3.0 × 10⁴ CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells/kg, whereas the remaining one received a dose of 22.9 × 10⁴ CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells/kg (P < .001). This patient's thrombocytopenia was associated with a prolonged period of high fevers, rash, and positive blood cultures. Platelet engraftment occurred at day 23. All 4 patients received an adequate CD34⁺ cell dose of between 2 and 5 × 10⁶/kg. No threshold CD34⁺ dose predicting delayed platelet engraftment could be identified (Figure 3B). An ROC curve generated using the absolute number of CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells/kg for each patient showed that >3.0 × 10⁴ CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells/kg was highly sensitive (100%) and specific (75%) for achieving platelet engraftment within 21 days. Comparing patients displaying platelet engraftment within 21 days of transplant with those displaying engraftment beyond that time, the former group received a median of 12.0 × 10⁴ CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells/kg (range: 3-128) compared with 2.3 × 10⁴ CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells/kg (range: 2-22.9) in the latter (P = .033). Patients with ≥21 days to platelet engraftment received platelet transfusions more often than those with <21 days to platelet engraftment (median 2.5, range: 1-9 versus 1, range: 0-4 respectively, P = .009).

Table 2. Details of the 4 Patients with ≥21 Days to Platelet Engraftment (All 4 Patients Received Cells from a Single Apheresis Collection)

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• Figure 3 

  (A) Number of days to platelet engraftment plotted against absolute number of CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells/kg infused at the time of transplant. Vertical line indicates a threshold of 3.0 × 10⁴ CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells/kg and the horizontal line represents 21 days post transplant. (B) Number of days to platelet engraftment plotted against absolute number of CD34⁺cells/kg infused at the time of transplant. Vertical line indicates a threshold of 2.0 × 10⁶ CD34⁺ cells/kg and the horizontal line represents 21 days post transplant.

Engraftment Kinetics According to CD34⁺ Cell Doses of <2, 2-5, 5-10, and ≥10 × 10⁶/kg 

We analyzed the engraftment characteristics of patients receiving varying numbers of CD34⁺ stem cells (Table 3). Although the correlation between CD34⁺ and CD34⁺CD110⁺ progenitor cell numbers was weak, mean CD34⁺CD110⁺ cell numbers rose with mean CD34⁺ numbers. The period to absolute neutrophil recovery of 0.5 × 10⁹/L did not vary with CD34⁺ dose infused, but there was a continuous reduction in the time to platelet recovery as CD34⁺ and CD34⁺CD110⁺ cell numbers increased (Figure 4). Four patients received a CD34⁺ stem cell dose of between 1 and 2 × 10⁶/kg, at which neutrophil and platelet engraftment is expected to be unreliable. Neutrophil engraftment occurred at a median of 15.5 days posttransplant (range: 11-19 days; Table 4). All of these patients received >3 × 10⁴ CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells/kg and all achieved platelet engraftment within 21 days (median 18 days, range: 9-19), 2 of whom achieved platelet engraftment before neutrophil engraftment. Sixty-one percent of transplants (44 grafts) contained between 2 and 5 × 10⁶ CD34⁺ cells/kg with a median time to neutrophil engraftment of 13 days (range: 8-24) and platelet engraftment of 13 days (range: 1-34). 28% of transplants (20 grafts) contained between 5 and 10 × 10⁶ CD34⁺ cells/kg with a median neutrophil engraftment of 12.5 days (range: 9-21) and platelet engraftment of 11 days (range: 1-18). A total of 5.5% of transplants (4 grafts) contained >10 × 10⁶ CD34⁺ cells/kg with a median neutrophil engraftment of 16.5 days (range: 8-19) and platelet engraftment of 1 day (range: 1-13).

Table 3. Engraftment Details Stratified by CD34⁺ Cell Dose

ANC indicates absolute neutrophil count.

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• Figure 4 

  Dose effect of increasing numbers of CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells/kg on platelet engraftment (bars represent median values).

Table 4. Engraftment Details of 4 Patients Receiving <2 × 10⁶ CD34⁺ Cells/kg

Patients 1, 3, and 4 received cells from a single apheresis collection.

Patient 2 received cells from 2 successive apheresis collections.

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Discussion 

The data generated in this study confirm our previous findings that reaching a threshold CD34⁺CD110⁺ stem cell dose predicts rapid platelet engraftment in autologous SCT. Our original data were obtained using a more heterogeneous patient group, whereas this study has established that for patients with MM undergoing autologous SCT, a threshold dose of 3 × 10⁴ CD34⁺CD110⁺ stem cells/kg ensures platelet engraftment within 21 days of stem cell infusion. There was surprisingly close agreement between this value and the value of 6 × 10⁴ CD34⁺CD110⁺ stem cells/kg that we identified in our previous study, suggesting that the absolute number of platelet progenitors infused is more important than other factors such as the number of CD34⁺ cells, the number of cycles, or type of prior chemotherapy or the state of the bone marrow microenvironment in determining the speed of platelet engraftment.

Only 5% of patients undergoing autologous SCT in this single center study received a dose of CD34⁺ cells >10 × 10⁶/kg, the dose at which rapid neutrophil and platelet engraftment reliably occurs. At the other extreme, a similar percentage underwent autologous transplantation with a CD34⁺ cell dose <2 × 10⁶/kg, a level at which the chance of delayed neutrophil and platelet engraftment is considered moderate to high. None of the 4 patients in this group, all of whom received >3 × 10⁴ CD34⁺CD110⁺ stem cells/kg, experienced delayed neutrophil or platelet engraftment, raising the possibility that the presence of at least 3 × 10⁴ CD34⁺CD110⁺ stem cells/kg provides an additional (or potentially superior) measure of adequacy of stem and progenitor cell numbers for normal engraftment. A larger number of transplants with these low numbers of CD34⁺ cells will be required to address this point.

Two thirds of transplants in this study were performed with a CD34⁺ cell dose below 5 × 10⁶/kg. It is in this group that the quantitation of CD34⁺CD110⁺ cell dose is likely to be most relevant. Three patients (just under 7% of the group) received <3 × 10⁴ CD34⁺CD110⁺ stem cells/kg and experienced delayed platelet engraftment. An additional patient with a CD34⁺CD110⁺ stem cell dose over 3 × 10⁴/kg experienced delayed platelet engraftment because of Gram-positive sepsis and a platelet consumption process. Our data indicate that even with a CD34⁺ cell dose that is generally considered adequate for autologous SCT, the CD34⁺CD110⁺ cell dose provides useful information and can identify a significant minority of patients destined to require prolonged platelet support. Around 4500 autologous stem cell transplants were performed in North America for myeloma in 2005 (data from Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research [CIBMTR]), so that this assay has the capacity to detect delayed platelet engraftment in just under 200 patients annually, allowing for collection of increased numbers of stem cells to avoid this problem. At the other end of the scale, there was a continuous reduction in time to platelet recovery with increasing doses of CD34⁺CD110⁺ cells that was in contrast to the period of neutropenia, which did not reduce as CD34⁺ and CD34⁺CD110⁺ doses increased. In support of the independent value of the CD34⁺CD110⁺ cell dose, this value correlated poorly with CD34⁺ dose, indicating that the former measure may well provide additional useful information at both high and low CD34⁺ stem cell numbers.

One important implication of our data is that transplant physicians may choose to extend the period of apheresis to achieve the threshold dose of CD34⁺CD110⁺ stem cells/kg that ensures rapid platelet engraftment if this target is not obtained with initial leukapheresis. The majority of our patients received stem cells collected with a single leukapheresis. However, data from the 19 patients in this study who had more than 1 collection indicate that CD34⁺CD110⁺ stem cell numbers increased in subsequent collections, making additional leukaphereses a worthwhile procedure. Because the number of aphereses undertaken in this study was determined by physicians concentrating on obtaining adequate CD34⁺ cell numbers (>2 × 10⁶ CD34⁺ cells/kg), we are currently establishing a protocol that will suggest that transplant physicians continue requesting the apheresis of patients undergoing stem cell transplants to achieve the threshold CD34⁺CD110⁺ stem cell dose we have identified. Further follow-up will be required to determine whether this approach prevents delayed platelet engraftment in all cases.

We have previously attempted to further refine this approach by adding or substituting for CD110 alternative megakaryocyte markers including the late differentiation markers CD41 and CD61. We have not been able to determine a method that provides greater sensitivity or specificity than the one we report here using these markers. Other studies have reported similar findings with results that provide less robust correlations with platelet recovery or correlations only with recovery to platelet numbers (eg, 50 × 10⁹/L)⁹ that are of less clinical significance 15, 16, 17. In summary, the methodology we report here provides a completely sensitive and highly specific test for predicting delayed platelet engraftment after autologous SCT for MM in conjunction with the routine enumeration of CD34⁺ cells. The test is simple to establish and perform, can be reported rapidly, and allows for real-time clinical decision making about the need for additional leukapheresis. Avoiding delayed platelet engraftment will reduce the need for platelet and blood product transfusion, reduce in-hospital time, and allow for more rapid recovery after transplantation.

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Acknowledgments 

The authors would like to thank the clinical and laboratory hematology staff of Westmead, Nepean and Wollongong Hospitals, NSW Australia, for their support in gathering data to complete this research and for their ongoing contributions to the field of stem cell transplantation.

Financial disclosure: The authors have nothing to disclose.

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