Estimation of hemopoietic potential by CFU-c and bone marrow scan in cancer patients.

The concentration of granulocyte-macrophage colonies in culture (CFU-c) in bone marrow cells was estimated, and bone marrow radionuclide scans were performed in a group of 15 cancer patients prior to bone marrow harvest for autologous transplantation. Preharvest CFU-c counts on iliac-crest bone marrow aspirates correlated very well with CFU-c counts from fresh and frozen-thawed bone marrows. Technetium-99m-sulfur colloid radionuclide scans showed that the distribution of total-body bone marrow and increased peripheral radionuclide uptake correlated with higher preharvest and harvest CFU-c counts. Bone marrow scan results were available in 1 h, whereas CFU-c counts took 14 days to obtain. Bone marrow scans may facilitate the clinical estimation of hemopoietic activity in patients under consideration for autologous bone marrow transplantation.