Circulating endothelial cells as a marker of endothelial damage in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Blood. 2004 May 1;103(9):3603-5. doi: 10.1182/blood-2003-10-3479. Epub 2004 Jan 8.

Abstract

Damage to endothelial cells is the common feature of vascular disorders associated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Elevated numbers of circulating endothelial cells reflect the extent of endothelial damage in a variety of disorders but their use in HSCT has not been investigated so far. We studied 39 patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT with different conditioning regimens and 22 healthy controls. Circulating endothelial cells were enumerated with immunomagnetic isolation during the course of HSCT. After conditioning, cell numbers were significantly elevated (median 44 cells/mL) compared with baseline (median 16 cells/mL) and controls (median 8 cells/mL). Patients who received radiation had an earlier peak when compared with patients who received chemotherapy. Patients who received reduced-intensity conditioning had significantly lower cell numbers (median 24 cells/mL) than those who received standard conditioning. These observations provide a novel marker to investigate microvascular endothelial damage and the effects of different conditioning regimens in patients undergoing HSCT.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antineoplastic Agents / adverse effects
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cell Count
  • Endothelium, Vascular / pathology*
  • Female
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / adverse effects*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Microcirculation / pathology
  • Middle Aged
  • Radiotherapy / adverse effects
  • Time Factors
  • Transplantation Conditioning / adverse effects
  • Transplantation Conditioning / methods
  • Transplantation, Homologous
  • Vascular Diseases / diagnosis*
  • Vascular Diseases / etiology

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents