McFarland W, Granville NB, Dameshek W. Autologous bone marrow infusion as an adjunct in therapy of malignant disease. Blood. 1959;14(5):503-521

Abstract

In 1959, McFarland and colleagues reported one of the earliest trials pioneering the use of high-dose chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation in patients with malignant disease. With the goal of circumventing marrow toxicity, marrow was collected and stored at room temperature for 24 hours while patients underwent cytotoxic therapy. Following the administration of “super” doses of nitrogen mustard, autologous bone marrow was infused into 2 patients with “lymphosarcomatosis” and 3 with Hodgkin disease. Although 2 patients died from infection, 3 recovered and experienced brief remissions. These results were considered to be highly encouraging and helped to propel further studies leading to the growth of the field.