Imbalance between the number of patients supplying stem cells for autologous transplantation and the number of patients receiving such transplants in France in 1997 and 1998

Abstract

Since 1995, the French transplantation agency has collected annual data on activities associated with autologous haematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation from all transplantation units. However, no data are available for haematopoietic progenitor cell collection and processing activities. National surveys of these activities were conducted in 1997 and 1998 in French units with cell product collection and processing activities.

Forty-three units collected peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) with 6466 PBPC collections from 3141 individuals for autologous transplantation, giving a mean of 2.06 collections per individual in 1997. The mean number of collections per individual by unit decreased significantly as the annual number of individuals from whom PBPC were collected increased (r = −0.37, p = 0.01 in 1997 and r = −0.29, p = 0.06 in 1998). Bone marrow was collected from 472 patients in 1997 and from 348 in 1998. In 1997 and 1998, the number of patients from whom stem cells were collected was one third higher than the number of patients receiving autologous transplants. In 1998, 13993 bags of cell products were frozen and only 7500 were thawed.

Further studies are required to estimate more precisely the link between practice, resources, and patient characteristics, to investigate the mean number of leukapheresis procedures per patient as a means of assessment and to analyse the causes of the difference between the number of patients transplanted and the number of patients from whom cells were collected for autologous transplantation. GMP or GLP for facilities undertaking any type of processing and storage, especially long-term storage, are needed, given the accumulation of grafts and bags.