[High-dose chemotherapy with stem cell support for solid tumors in adults]

High-dose chemotherapy for advanced solid malignancies has been the subject of many clinical studies. The replacement of autologous bone marrow transplantation by peripheral blood haematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation and other advances in supportive care have led to a considerable reduction of therapy-related mortality and morbidity. In certain rare disorders, such as germ cell tumours or pediatric sarcomas in adults, high-dose therapy is currently considered the therapeutic standard. It is likely that a subgroup of patients with high-risk or disseminated breast cancer can also benefit in terms of survival from this treatment modality, but final proof from randomized studies remains to be generated. On theoretical grounds, high-dose chemotherapy could also be effective in small cell lung cancer and ovarian cancer, and randomized studies to answer this question are in progress. Many investigators concur that high-dose chemotherapy often leads to dramatic cytoreduction in solid tumours, but only rarely achieves cure. Novel therapeutic modalities are required to control the residual microscopic disease.