Mitoxantrone-melphalan conditioning regimen for autologous stem cell transplantation in relapsed/refractory lymphoma

High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has become the standard approach for patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). In this study, we report the outcome of the mitoxantrone-melphalan conditioning regimen for lymphoma.

The study group included 53 patients who were relapsed/refractory HL (n = 14) and NHL (n = 39) and received mitoxantrone and melphalan followed by ASCT. The transplant regimen consisted of mitoxantrone (60 mg/m2) and melphalan (180 mg/m2) followed by peripheral blood stem cell infusion (PBSC).

Prior to high-dose chemotherapy, 37.7% of the patients were in complete remission (CR) and 45.3% were in partial remission (PR), and 17% had stable or progressive disease. After high-dose chemotherapy and PBSC, 44 out of 51 patients achieved CR (86.2%). CR was achieved in 24 out of 33 patients (72.7%) who were transplanted in a marginally active phase of the disease. At a median followup of 25.4 months (1.8–131.3 months) after ASCT, 13 patients relapsed/ progressed and 8 patients died. The estimated 2-year overall survival (OS) was 81.9%, and event-free survival (EFS) was 59.3%.

High-dose chemotherapy followed by ASCT is an effective conditioning regimen in relapsed/refractory lymphoma patients who are undergoing ASCT.