[The importance of autologous transplantation in multiple myeloma]

Several randomized clinical trials in multiple myeloma (MM) completed in the last two decades have clearly shown that high-dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic stem cell support significantly increases the number of complete remissions and median overall survival in comparison to conventional chemotherapy. The median survival of MM patients treated with conventional chemotherapy is approximately 4 years in contrast to 5 to 6 years with autologous transplantation. Although high-dose chemotherapy with autologous transplantation is not curative and most patients will eventually relapse, more than 20% of patients treated using this strategy experience survival longer than 10 years. Thus, autologous transplantation is the preferred treatment option for all eligible patients with MM.