High-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation for Hodgkin's lymphoma in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia: King Faisal specialist hospital and research center experience

We report our experience with high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and autologous SCT (ASCT) in 66 patients out of 113 (113 patients out of 153 had complete analysis) with primary refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma (PR-HL) who received salvage chemotherapy followed by BEAM as HDC. Median age at ASCT was 23 years. Before salvage chemotherapy, stages I:II:III:IV were 2:21:14:29, bulky disease 27%, involvement of mediastinum 79%, spleen 26% and extranodal site 47%; 92% had ESHAP (etoposide, methylprednisolone, high-dose cytarabine, cisplatin) as salvage. Post-ASCT evaluation showed response in 50 patients (76%), complete response (CR) in 37 (56%), partial response in 14 (21%), no response or stable disease in three (5%) and progressive disease in 10 (15%) patients. Six patients achieved CR after XRT (5) or surgery (1), making a total with CR of 43 (65%). From diagnosis and HDC, median follow-up is 38.5 and 22.8 months and median overall survival 78 and 57 months, respectively. EFS and overall survival (OS) are 36 and 64%, respectively. In all 47% patients are in CR. Twenty-two (33%) patients died of the disease. Multivariate analysis showed elevated lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) for EFS ( P =0.041) and mediastinal involvement for OS ( P =0.038) as negative prognostic factors. In conclusion, EFS and OS are only 36 and 64%, respectively. Elevated LDH and mediastinal involvement are poor prognostic factors.