Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in peripheral T-cell lymphomas

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) are a rare entity with a dismal outcome. After conventional chemotherapy they showed a worse prognosis compared with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), except for anaplastic lymphoma-kinase (ALK)-positive anaplastic large cell lymphomas (ALCL). High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT) has been evaluated in relapsed patients as well as in the upfront setting. Available data showed an advantage for patients who received transplant as first line treatment whereas results of autografting at relapse have been satisfactory only for ALK-positive ALCLs compared to other PTCL subtypes. Based upon preliminary results, allogeneic SCT can be also considered as an alternative strategy in these lymphomas. Whether or not the postulated graft-versus-lymphoma effect may overcome the poor prognosis of T-cell NHL patients has to be established.