['The goal was to investigate the effect of prior combined rituximab (R) and intensive chemotherapy on peripheral blood stem cell mobilization and their engraftment after stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in 69 patients with poor-risk, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).', 'A statistically comparable median number of CD34+ stem cells was collected in both groups (13.80x10(6)/ kg in the non-R group and 7.81x10(6)/kg in the R group; p = 0.110). A trend toward greater number of CFU-GM was found in the non-R group (98.1x10(4)/kg) compared to the R group (76.6x10(4)/kg; p = 0.068). The non-R patients had a much higher median number of BFU-E (90.9x10(4)/kg) than the R patients (31.3x10(4)/kg; p = 0.001).'] Does rituximab adversely affect the stem cell mobilization and engraftment after high-dose therapy and autologous transplantation in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in first complete or partial remission?