Autologous or allogeneic transplantation in B- and T-cell lymphomas

The roles of HDT/autoSCT and alloSCT in the treatment of B- and T-cell lymphomas continue to change. With the wider use of Rituximab in virtually every patient with B-cell lymphoma transplantation as part of first-line therapy has been challenged. New studies fail to show a benefit of HDT/autoSCT over conventional therapy when administered to newly diagnosed patients with aggressive B-cell lymphoma; in the other B-cell lymphomas results from randomized studies are not yet available. Patients relapsing from first-line therapy including Rituximab do not have satisfying results with HDT/autoSCT. Therefore, alloSCT is increasingly being considered. In T-cell lymphoma the efficacy of autoSCT seems rather limited. Study groups and single institutions are developing new strategies including alloSCT to improve the situation for such patients both in the setting of first-line and salvage therapy.