Autologous Bone Marrow Transplantation - Blog Science Connections

Detection of Bone Marrow Metastases in Small
Cell Lung Cancer by Tumor Stem Cell Assay
and Monoclonal Antibodies
Michel Symann, Yves Humblet, Jean-Luc Canon, and
Anne-Marie
Lebacq-Verheyden
It is well known that small cell lung cancer (SCLC) has a high propensity to
metastasize to the bone marrow and that such involvement is a prognostic
factor ( 1 ). Depending on the series, incidence of positive bone marrow at the
time of diagnosis is reported to be 17-29% (2-7).
In the setting of autologous bone marrow transplantation, the presence
of tumor clonogenic cells in the graft should theoretically be avoided. This
can be achieved by using appropriate screening tests to select patients or by
purging in vitro marrow proven to be contaminated.
The objective of the present study was to investigate the use of growth of
tumor colonies in soft agar and the use of three rat monoclonal antibodies
(MAbs) in detecting metastases of SCLC in the bone marrow.
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