Peripheral T-cell lymphoma: the role of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is a rare and heterogeneous group of non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs). Whereas the incidence of the disease appears to increase during last decades and the prognosis remains dramatically poor, so far no standard treatment has been established. High-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (HDT-ASCT) has been proven effective in relapsed PTCL, while retrospective studies have shown a survival benefit as first-line treatment in some subsets of PTCL patients. However, given disease rarity, there is a paucity of randomized trials in both upfront and relapse setting. Here, we critically evaluated eligible prospective and retrospective studies that address the role of ASCT in treatment of PTCL, with respect to quality of design and performance. Additionally, the role of allogeneic transplantation has been reviewed. The comparison of ASCT with novel agents that emerge or the combination of both, are to be ascertained via prospective randomized trials in this field.