The Effects of Premedication with Desipramine on Bone Marrow Mobilization for Autologous Bone Marrow Transplantation in Multiple Myeloma

Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) management includes primary chemotherapy, followed by autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) if the bone marrow gets cleared of cancerous cells. In some cases disease relapse may occur if complete clearance is not achieved. Transplantation was primarily performed through the bone marrow; however, peripheral blood has become more favored due to its safety and convenient collection in case of appropriate bone marrow mobilization which is a challenging issue. Objectives: The current study was aimed to investigate the effectiveness of desipramine application for bone marrow mobilization in multiple myeloma (MM) who were candidate for autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT). Methods: The current randomized clinical trial involved 122 MM patients who were candidate for ABMT. The participants were divided into two intervention groups: the first group (n = 63) received G-CSF only treatment, while the second group (n = 59) received a similar G-CSF treatment plus desipramine. The first group received 30 microgram intravenous G-CSF for five days and the second one was treated with G-CSF with similar pattern in combination with daily 100 mg desipramine initiated within three days before G-CSF treatment and continued until the last dose of G-CSF. CD34+ cells and complete blood cells and differentiation were assessed by the end of the interventions. Results: The findings of the study show that the number of CD34+ cells, white blood cells (WBC) and platelet (PLT) count were remarkably higher among the patients receiving the combination therapy compared to the G-CSF only treated group (P-value < 0.001) within 5 days after the interventions; however, no significant differences were observed between the two groups when considering the stage of the disease and the frequency of chemotherapy sessions (P-value > 0.05). Conclusions: Desipramine application led to significantly increased levels of CD34+ cells as the representatives of bone marrow mobilization. Besides, the patients treated with this regimen had higher serum levels of WBC and PLT; however, the disease stage and the number of chemotherapy sessions did not affect the response to the treatment.