Autologous stem cell transplant in Lymphoma patients

Dr Anna Sureda from the Catalan Institute of Oncology, Duran I Reynals Hospital, Barcelona, Spain discusses the importance of autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for lymphoma patients who fail to respond or relapse after treatment with conventional chemotherapy. A small proportion of Lymphoma patients require second-line treatment, and patients that undergo ASCT receive a high dose of chemotherapy, also known as a conditioning regimen, which destroys the bone marrow. This transplant then replaces the damaged bone marrow with healthy cells. Healthy cells need to be collected from the patient prior to transplant, however some patients have a low peripheral blood cell count (PBSC), and it is important to utilise mobilisation strategies to stimulate the bone marrow. Recorded at the annual meeting of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) in Marseille, France.