Melphalan and Filgrastim to Stimulate Peripheral Stem Cells in Patients With Multiple Myeloma

Inclusion Criteria

• •DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Diagnosis of multiple myeloma
• •Must have received induction therapy within the past 3 months
• •Chemoresponsive disease
• •* Greater than 50% reduction of monoclonal paraprotein with reduction in marrow plasma cell infiltrate or greater than 50% reduction in marrow plasma cell infiltrate if disease is non-secretory
• •No symptomatic pleural effusions
• •Eligible for stem cell transplantation
• •PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Age:
• •18 and over
• •Performance status:
• •ECOG 0-3 (ECOG 3 allowed only if due to bone disease or neuropathy)
• •Life expectancy:
• •Not specified
• •Hematopoietic:
• •Platelet count at least 150,000/mm\^3
• •Hepatic:
• •Bilirubin no greater than 2.5 mg/dL
• •Renal:
• •Creatinine no greater than 2.5 mg/dL OR
• •Creatinine clearance greater than 51 mL/min
• •Cardiovascular:
• •No symptomatic cardiomyopathy
• •No medically documented symptomatic cardiac arrhythmias within the past 60 days
• •No New York Heart Association class III congestive heart failure
• •No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
• •Other:
• •No other concurrent medical conditions that would preclude study
• •No uncontrolled infections
• •No other active malignancy within the past 5 years except for non-melanoma skin cancer
• •Not pregnant
• •Negative pregnancy test
• •Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• •PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• •Biologic therapy:
• •No prior stem cell mobilization or transplantation
• •Chemotherapy:
• •See Disease Characteristics
• •No more than 200 mg prior oral melphalan
• •Endocrine therapy:
• •Not specified
• •Radiotherapy:
• •No more than 3000 cGy of prior radiotherapy for myeloma
• •Surgery:
• •Not specified