Value of autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) in 42 patients with follicular lymphomas responsive to conventional chemotherapy: a "France Autogreffe" study.

The value of high-dose chemotherapy with hematologic stem cell rescue has not yet been established in the treatment of low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. We report the results of a retrospective "France Autogreffe" study of 42 patients grafted during first partial remission (N = 13) or chemosensitive relapse (N = 29) for follicular lymphoma before January 1990. The median age was 38 years (range: 26 to 61 years). Preparative therapy was chemotherapy alone in 22 patients and total body irradiation (TBI)-containing regimens in 20 patients. Thirty-seven patients received hematopoietic marrow stem cells. Bone marrow purging was performed in 15 patients. Five patients received peripheral blood stem cells. With a median follow-up of 43 months, relapse-free survival is 66%, event-free survival 58%, and overall survival 83%. To date, no prognostic factors have been shown. Nine of these patients were tested for evaluation of minimal residual disease by polymerase chain reaction analysis of bc12 rearrangement in the blood. Six were positive.