Autologous stem-cell transplantation in Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

High-dose therapy and autologous stem-cell transplantation (SCT) have been explored as a therapeutic option for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin's disease (HD) for the past years, in an effort to improve the long-term outcome of these patients. After publication of various phase I/II-studies the results of randomized trials in patients with aggressive NHL and HD have been reported. Based on these the conclusion can be drawn that autologous SCT significantly improves the outcome of patients in chemosensitive relapse of aggressive NHL and HD. In patients with aggressive NHL and a high or high-intermediate risk according to the International Prognostic Score, high-dose consolidation therapy may improve their prognosis. This could also be the case in patients with primary refractory HD and some low grade lymphoma such as mantle-cell lymphoma. However, there is a lack of randomized trials in patients with low grade NHL and, thus, the benefit of autologous SCT in these populations remains to be determined.