Autologous bone marrow transplants: different indications in Europe and North America. Advisory Committee of the International Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant Registry (ABMTR).

The International Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant Registry surveyed activity at 112 centres worldwide. Transplants increased from 265 in 1981 to over 1200 in 1987. Diseases most frequently treated by autotransplantation included non-Hodgkin lymphoma (22%), acute myelogenous leukaemia (19%), acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (15%), Hodgkin disease (15%), and neuroblastoma (5%). There were striking differences in the use of autotransplants between North America and Europe. Autotransplants for lymphomas and solid tumours comprised 94% of North American Autotransplants but only 41% of those in Europe. In contrast, leukaemia was the indication in 59% of Europeans but only 6% of North Americans. 65% of leukaemia autotransplants in Europe were done in first remission compared with 8% in North America. There were also differences in age and types of lymphoma autotransplanted--Burkitt and lymphoblastic lymphoma in young persons in Europe, versus large-cell lymphomas in older persons in North America.