High-dose therapy and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in patients with relapsed lymphoma

Abstract

Twenty lymphoma patients (14 Hodgkin's Disease, 6 agressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma), treated with high-dose therapy or chemotherapy+radiotherapy, underwent peripheral blood stem cell transplantation between March 1993 and November 1996. Stem cells were mobilized by granulocyte-colony stimulating factor or granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor. The mean number of mononuclear cells per kg body weight collected from each patient was 7.10X108 (range: 2.2X108-10.21X108). Mean CD34+ cell number was 9.3x106/kg (range: 2.03x108-14x108). Leucocyte and platelet engraftments occurred on mean 15th (range: 9-27) and 24th (range: 11-34) days, respectively. In one case, engraftment has not sufficiently developed within six months. Secondary engraftment failure was not observed. There were 5 early deaths in the posttransplant period (25%) and the mortality rate due to the infections was 15% (3/20). Two of 5 early deaths were due to CNS hemorrhage (5%) and drug toxicity (5%). Twelve patients are currently disease-free and 3 patients relapsed in the posttransplant period. Median survival time was 39.5 months. The overall survival for 40 months was 31.4% and four patients are still alive over 22 months. [Turk J Cancer 1997;27(1):19-26]