Tandem Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation for Patients with Primary Refractory or Poor Risk Recurrent Hodgkin Lymphoma

AbstractAlthough autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) appears to offer a survival advantage over conventional therapy, only approximately 25% to 35% of patients with primary progressive or poor-risk recurrent HL can achieve durable remission after ASCT, with disease progressive after transplant accounting for most of the treatment failures. We conducted a pilot study to evaluate the toxicities and efficacy of a tandem transplant approach in this subgroup of patients. Between April 1998 and March 2000, 46 patients were enrolled in the study. Eligibility criteria: primary progressive (n = 28) or recurrent HL (n = 18) with at least 1 of the following poor prognostic factors: first complete remission (CR)