Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the treatment of lymphoma

In 1990, high-dose chemotherapy, with or without radiotherapy, requiring the support of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has been confirmed as an effective treatment modality for a fraction of recurring or refractory lymphomas. Most relevant clinical studies published in 1990 are summarized and commented on in this review. Upcoming developments expected to improve the therapeutic index of high-dose therapies comprise the identification of patients at high risk of relapse so they can be treated earlier in the course of the disease, and the utilization of hematopoietic growth factors for ameliorating myelosuppression, as well as for harvesting peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cells utilizable for transplantation.