AUTOLOGOUS BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANTATION FOR HODGKINS-DISEASE - A 5-YEAR SINGLE-CENTER EXPERIENCE

The results from 40 patients who have undergone autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) for relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's disease b etween March 1988 and September 1992 have been analysed. In contrast t o our results in patients with relapsed HD, our results in patients wi th refractory HD are comparatively poor. Conventional salvage chemothe rapy also seems inappropriate in these patients and we therefore belie ve they should be offered high-dose chemotherapy before their disease becomes refractory to conventionally scheduled regimens. Peripheral bl ood stem cell (PBSC) transplant now offers an attractive alternative t o ABMT and may replace both intensive salvage chemotherapy and ABMT as the optimum treatment for patients who fail to respond to conventiona l chemotherapy regimens.