Charlie is a 53-year-old man with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. His treatment has been only modestly successful in delaying the progression of the disease, and he has recently relapsed. His medical team decided to administer aggressive chemotherapy. Knowing that the intensive treatment would have a destructive effect on Charlie's bone marrow, they removed stem cells from his blood before the chemotherapy began. Afterward, the stem cells were returned by IV to reestablish his bone marrow function. Before harvesting stem cells, a cytokine growth factor is administered to the patient. What is the benefit of this procedure? Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a disease involving B and T lymphocytes. What aspects of the immune response are these cells responsible for?


When considering erythrocytes, how is the body able to meet hematopoietic demand in conditions such as hemolytic anemia or blood loss?

  •  Grady 

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What are the therapeutic advantages of an autologous stem cell transplant on Charlie's bone marrow and immune system?
Stem cells are self-renewing and are able to continually proliferate. Removing these healthy cells before intensive chemotherapy or radiation therapy allows them to regenerate and repair damaged bone marrow once they are returned to the body. Using an autologous transplant maintains histocompatibility with the host.

The cytokine growth factor promotes the proliferation of stem cells and their migration from bone marrow. This provides more cells for rescue before the surgery and for later transplantation.

B lymphocytes are responsible for humoral-mediated immunity, and T lymphocytes are responsible for cell-mediated immunity.

Erythropoietin (EPO) is the cytokine responsible for triggering erythrocyte production. With persistent hemolysis or blood loss, there is resubstitution of red bone marrow for yellow. The spleen and liver can also participate in RBC production.

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