The use of non-cryopreserved hematopoietic stem cells for autologous transplantation
A prospective study of the efficacy and safety of using non-cryopreserved PBSCs in patients who underwent autologous transplantation was conducted. The number of PBSCs apheresis procedures was 1 day in 29 (82.9 %) patients and 2 days in 6 patients (17.1 %). After apheresis, PBSCs were stored at a temperature of +4-6°C in a blood bank refrigerator for up to 72 hours. For 4 years, autologous transplantation using non-cryopreserved PBSCs was performed in 35 patients. The number of days of stem cell harvest was 1 in 29 patients (82.9 %) and 2 in 6 patients (17.1 %). The median CD34 cell dose was 2.63 х 106/kg. The median time to neutrophil engraftment was 11 days (range, 9 to 14). The median time to platelet engraftment was 12 days (range, 8 to 19). There were no significant differences in the viability of PBSCs, the frequency of complications, the time of hematopoietic engraftment, the need for platelet and red blood cells transfusion therapy and time of hospitalization when comparing the safety of transplantation in groups with non-cryopreserved and cryopreserved PBSCs. Therefore, the method of short-term storage of non-cryopreserved PBSCs is not inferior to the traditional method with Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) controlled freezing and can be used in hospital that do not have a Cryobank in their composition.