Outcomes of high dose therapy and autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for non‐hodgkin lymphoma: A retrospective analysis in a resource‐limited country

Abstract

Aim To retrospectively report the clinical outcomes of non‐Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) patients post high dose therapy (HDT) with autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplant (AHSCT) and determine whether upfront transplant, which is a first‐line consolidative treatment with induction chemotherapy, would be a feasible modality in a resource‐limited country. Methods The medical records for NHL patients who had undergone HDT followed by AHSCT from October 1997 to November 2016 from two hospitals in Klang Valley, Malaysia were obtained from the medical record database and analysed retrospectively through statistical analysis. Results A total of 148 patients were retrospectively identified post‐AHSCT, where the majority of whom had B cell lymphoma (53.4%). Majority of patients (88.5%) were in complete remission before AHSCT. The overall survival (OS) and event‐free survival (EFS) at 3 years were 68.9% and 60.8%, respectively. The major cause of death was disease progression at 73.9%, while transplant‐related mortality was 15.2%, with a median follow‐up period of 179.5 weeks. Conclusion Our study illustrates the promising outcomes of HDT with AHSCT in NHL patients in a resource‐limited country. We recommend larger studies to be conducted in the future with a longer duration of follow‐up to validate our findings.

Efficacy and safety of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the treatment of malignant lymphoma after chemotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Survival of patients with this disease depends primarily on prognostic factors and patient response to first-line therapy ( 8 ). Long-term survival and prognosis of patients have not been significantly improved, despite a number of current treatment options available for this disease ( 9 ). Autologous hematopoietic stem cell therapy (AHSCT) is a commonly used treatment for malignant lymphoma recurrence after conventional chemotherapy.…”