Outcomes for patients who fail high dose chemoradiotherapy and autologous stem cell rescue for relapsed and primary refractory Hodgkin lymphoma

Most patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) are cured with first and second-line treatment; however, the outcome is unknown for those who fail high dose chemoradiotherapy with autologous stem cell transplant (HDT-ASCT). This report is an analysis of patients with relapsed and primary refractory HL who were treated with HDT-ASCT and failed due to progression of disease (POD). Two hundred and two patients received HDT-ASCT at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for relapsed or refractory HL between December 1994 and 2005 and 71 failed due to POD. The median survival following HDT-ASCT failure was 25 months. Only 16 (23%) of the 71 patients are currently alive, nine of whom are in remission. Multivariate analysis revealed two factors associated with poor outcome: relapse within 6 months of HDT-ASCT and primary refractory disease. The only factor associated with improved survival was the ability to receive a second transplant, in particular, reduced intensity allogeneic transplant (RIT). Novel therapies are needed for patients who fail HDT-ASCT, particularly those with primary refractory disease and those who relapse within 6 months of HDT-ASCT. Future studies should focus on prospectively evaluating RIT following HDT-ASCT failure in patients with remission duration from HDT-ASCT of >6 months.