VALUE OF AUTOLOGOUS BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANTATION IN FOLLICULAR LYMPHOMA - A FRANCE AUTOGREFFE RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF 42 PATIENTS

The value of high-dose chemotherapy with hematologic stem cell rescue has not been established in the treatment of low-grade non-Hodgkin's l ymphoma. We report the results of a retrospective 'France Autogreffe' study of 42 patients grafted in first partial remission (n = 13) or ch emosensitive relapse (n = 29) for follicular lymphoma before January 1 990. The median age was 38 years (range 26-61 years). Preparative ther apy was chemotherapy alone in 22 patients and total body irradiation ( TBI)-containing regimens in 20 patients. Thirty-seven patients receive d hematopoietic marrow stem cells. Bone marrow purging was performed i n 15 patients died of bone marrow transplantation toxicity and two oth ers died in complete remission 10 months after autologous bone marrow transplantation. With a median follow-up of 43 months, relapse-free su rvival is 60%, event-free survival 58% and overall survival 83%. To da te on prognostic factors have been shown.