Evaluation of blood cell count using an automatic hematology analyzer to optimize collection of peripheral blood progenitor cells by leukapheresis.

Background: Autologous stem cell transplantation is a treatment modality for several diseases. Prediction of successful mobilization may be useful to optimize hematopoietic stem cell collection.

Study design and methods: This was a retrospective study with data from transplantation candidates between September 2015 and December 2021 being analyzed. The medical record of each patient was reviewed to mine mobilization information. The laboratory data analyzed were CD34⁺ cell enumeration and pre-collection peripheral blood cell count. The primary outcome, good mobilization, was defined as a CD34⁺ cell count ≥20/μL.

Results: This study included 807 patients. Increased patient weight, low mean corpuscular volume, high nucleated red blood cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cell and immature granulocyte counts were significantly associated with good mobilization. In addition, patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma were two times more likely to be good mobilizers than patients with lymphoma. The model was applied to a validation set to identify patients who underwent apheresis (CD34⁺ cell count ≥10 µL), resulting in a sensitivity of 69 %, a specificity of 95 %, positive predictive value of 98 %, and a negative predictive value of 50 %.

Conclusion: Success in mobilization was greater in patients who underwent the first mobilization cycle and who had a diagnosis of multiple myeloma. Furthermore, higher body weight, and nucleated red blood cells, immature granulocytes and mononuclear cell counts, as well as low mean corpuscular volumes, were associated with successful mobilization.