MOBILIZATION TRANSPLANTATION OF PERIPHERAL-BLOOD PROGENITOR CELLS FORAGGRESSIVE NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMA WITH MARROW INVOLVEMENT/

Thirty-five aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) with marrow invol vement received high-dose cyclophosphamide (7 g/m(2)) and G-CSF in ord er to collect peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC). Fourteen patie nts were in partial remission, 16 patients were in relapse ('sensitive ', 12; 'resistant', 4) and five patients were refractory to convention al treatment. A good yield of PBPC was obtained in 30 patients, while a low number of CD34(+) cells and of CFU-GM was seen in two cases. Two patients entered progression and one patient died. Thirty patients un derwent PBPC autografting. Twenty-nine out of 35 (83%) patients entere d complete remission (CR). Two patients died in CR of infection follow ing marrow aplasia 3 and 6 months after autografting. At 3 years the p robability of survival and disease-free survival (DFS) are 62 and 51%, respectively.