Reduced-intensity unrelated cord blood transplantation for patients with advanced malignant lymphoma

We report the results of reduced-intensity unrelated cord blood transplantation (RI-UCBT) in patients with advanced malignant lymphoma. Twenty patients (median age, 46.5 years; range, 27–66 years) underwent RI-UCBT with a preparative regimen consisting of fludarabine 125 mg/m 2, melphalan 80 mg/m 2, and 4 Gy of total body irradiation. The median infused total cell dose was 2.75 × 10 7/kg (range, 2.3–3.4 × 10 7/kg). Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis was composed of cyclosporine or tacrolimus alone. Fifteen patients achieved primary neutrophil engraftment after a median of 20 days. Eight patients developed grade II to IV acute GVHD, and 2 developed chronic GVHD. Of the 16 patients with evaluable disease, 10 achieved a complete response. Primary disease recurred in 1 patient, and transplant-related mortality within 100 days occurred in 8 of 20 patients. The estimated 1-year probability of progression-free survival was 50%. These data suggest that RI-UCBT is a feasible option for patients with refractory lymphoma who lack an HLA-matched donor.