Detection and clinical significance of minimal tumor cell contamination of peripheral stem call harvests

Abstract

Peripheral stem cell (PSC) harvests from patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and breast cancer are less likely to be contaminated with occult tumor cells detected by culture techniques, than are bone marrow harvests. Clinically, NHL patients transplanted with such PSC harvests had a better outcome than recipients of bone marrow harvests.