Efficacy and safety of plerixafor in pediatric cancer patients undergoing peripheral blood stem cell harvest for autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant

Plerixafor for peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell (PB HSC) mobilization in children undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is primarily used following failure of the initial mobilization attempt. Data on plerixafor use in pediatric patients are limited. This retrospective study conducted at a single tertiary care center in India, details the efficacy and safety of plerixafor for 10 children with relapsed/refractory solid tumors or lymphomas. High risk neuroblastomas (HR NB) underwent autologous HSCT as part of consolidation. Plerixafor was administered at a dose of 240 μg/kg body weight of the recipient, subcutaneously, approximately 11-12 h prior to harvest. Ten patients (eight males, two females), with a median age of 8 years (range 2-18 years), received plerixafor prior to PB HSC harvest. All patients were administered granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF) before the administration of plerixafor. The median CD 34 count for all patients pre-plerixafor was 29/μL, nine patients exhibited higher CD 34 post plerixafor (median of 148/μL). In nine patients, the values of the CD 34 count and total leukocyte count (TLC) of the harvested product were available, and in all cases, we achieved a good yield. All patients in this study were heavily chemotherapy pre-treated, and the use of plerixafor resulted in a satisfactory yield of peripheral blood stem cells. No side effects were observed.