BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANTATION IN CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC-LEUKEMIA AND LYMPHOMAS

Until recently younger patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukem ia (CLL) have not been considered for treatment with high-dose therapy and bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Current results show that both autologous and allogeneic bone marrow transplantation can induce a hi gh percentage of long lasting remissions in younger patients with poor -risk CLL. Because of the investigational character of BMT for CLL, al l eligible patients should be enrolled in clinical trials, Autologous BMT or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PSCT) have become s tandard therapies for relapsed patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD) or intermediate- and high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Data on au tologous transplantation for low-grade NHL are not mature enough and m ore experience is needed in order to assess the long-term value of suc h approach. Ongoing studies of high-dose therapy in lymphomas are focu sed on performing BMT earlier in the course of the disease and explori ng alternative sources of hematopoietic rescue such as allogeneic stem cell transplantation.