Autologous stem-cell transplantation for solid tumors in adults

Over the last decade, high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) with autologous stem-cel l transplantation has been explored for a variety of solid tumors in adults , particularly breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and nonseminomatous germ-cell tumors. Response of phase II studies are encouraging in most cases, and, i n certain settings, seem clearly superior to historical results of conventi onal-dose chemotherapy. The value of HDC for adult solid tumors is a highly controversial issue, currently being addressed in large randomized phase I T trials. This article reviews the results of HDC in different diseases and depicts potential directions of future progress.