Outcome of progressive disease after autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a nation-wide survey

: Objectives: To analyse outcome and prognostic factors in non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) patients who progress after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Patients: Altogether 115 consecutive NHL patients transplanted in 1991–2000 were studied. Histology included diffuse large B cell (n = 52), follicular (n = 26), mantle cell (n = 15), T cell (n = 16) and other subtypes (n = 6). The median time from ASCT to the progression was 7 months. Ninety‐six patients (83%) received salvage treatment. Results: Twenty‐four patients (25%) achieved complete remission and 30 (31%) partial remission. The median overall survival was 8 months (range 0–98+) and the projected 4‐year survival 21%. In multivariate analysis factors predicting treatment response after the progression included the use of rituximab (P = 0.036), histology other than diffuse large B cell (P = 0.001) and International Prognostic Index ≤2 at progression (P