A peripheral stem cell transplant may be able to replace blood-forming cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy. Currently filgrastim (G-CSF), a colony stimulating factor, is used to cause the growth and mobilization of stem cells from bone marrow to peripheral blood, which can then be collected from the peripheral blood by a process called apheresis. Plerixafor aids in the release of the stem cells from the bone marrow into the peripheral blood, possibly allowing for a more rapid collection of a larger number of stem cells from the peripheral blood. Larger stem cell doses for transplantation correlate to faster recovery times after high dose chemotherapy followed with stem cell transplantation. This study is intended to determine whether the combination of plerixafor with filgrastim is better than filgrastim alone in helping non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients collect at least 5 million stem cells in four or less apheresis sessions.
This study was previously posted by AnorMED, Inc. In November 2006, AnorMED, Inc. was acquired by Genzyme Corporation. Genzyme Corporation is the sponsor of the trial.
