Clinical studies of autologous bone marrow transplantation in Hodgkin's disease

Approximately half of conventional-chemotherapy-resistant, far-advanced Hodgkin's disease patients can be placed into remission with existing intensive therapy regimens and ABMT; these results are similar to those noted in less-heavily pretreated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients. While a few of these end-stage patients have prolonged remissions, failure frequently occurs in a pattern that suggests the inadequacy of the intensive regimens rather than reinoculation of malignant cells in the marrow autograft. The use of additional local radiotherapy may be helpful in selected patients, and more effective regimens may be developed in the future. However, treatment of less advanced disease is primarily indicated. Due to previous treatment features, patients with advanced Hodgkin's disease may have more morbidity and mortality than a similar group of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients. This problem can be minimized by better patient selection, earlier marrow storage and the avoidance of TBI-containing regimens in patients at high risk of interstitial pneumonitis. Routine marrow purging is unlikely to be required for Hodgkin's disease patients given ABMT. The use of intensive therapy and ABMT for the treatment of Hodgkin's disease is currently indicated most clearly for treatment of a patient in initial partial remission, early relapse from an initial chemotherapy-induced remission, or consolidation of a second remission reinduced by conventional therapy.