Ethylene oxide-type hypersensitivity reactions in G-CSF mobilized, peripheral blood hematopoietic progenitor cell donors and review.

Background: Ethylene oxide (EtO) is a volatile, ringed toxic ether used to sterilize heat-labile plastics including apheresis sets. In the 1980s, EtO-associated severe hypersensitivity reactions during hemodialysis led to widespread adoption of alternative sterilization for dialysis kits but not apheresis tubing sets. We now report several cases of EtO-type hypersensitivity reactions in autologous donors undergoing hematopoietic progenitor cell collection (HPCC).

A secondary CD34+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia unmasked and mobilized by G-CSF in an autologous stem cell donor with testicular cancer.

Background: Late complications of chemotherapy include treatment-related secondary leukemias. We describe an unusual case of a new treatment-related acute lymphoblastic leukemia (t-ALL) that was unmasked and mobilized by G-CSF during autologous hematopoietic progenitor cell collection (HPCC) in a young man with testicular cancer.

Methods: Electronic chart review of the patient medical history and pertinent laboratory findings.