Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Bone Marrow Transplant Prognoses

The procedure of a bone marrow transplantation for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma used to be the procedure of last resort, only used after all other treatment modalities failed. This was the case because the procedure can be extraordinarily difficult to endure for the patient, even life-threatening considering the many complications. However, the procedure is becoming more common.

In this entry we'll look at the prognosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients following a bone marrow transplant (also called a stem cell transplant).

The following comes from data published by the National Marrow Donor Program and, unless otherwise specified, each is expressed in terms of the probability of survival six years after the procedure. Data are provided for patients whose disease is considered either chemotherapy-sensitive or chemotherapy-resistant.

Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

For patients diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma who receive an autologous stem cell transplantation:

• - Chemotherapy-sensitive disease: 60 percent
• - Chemotherapy-resistant disease: 49 percent

For patients diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma who receive an HLA-identical sibling stem cell allotransplant:

• - Chemotherapy-sensitive disease: 40 percent
• - Chemotherapy-resistant disease: 19 percent

Follicular Lymphoma

For patients diagnosed with follicular lymphoma who receive an autologous stem cell transplantation:

• - Chemotherapy-sensitive disease: 50-55 percent
• - Chemotherapy-resistant disease: 30-35 percent

For patients diagnosed with follicular lymphoma who receive an HLA-identical sibling stem cell allotransplant:

• - Chemotherapy-sensitive disease: 65 percent
• - Chemotherapy-resistant disease: 53 percent

Finally, the prognosis of survival five years after a procedure for adult B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients receiving an unrelated allotransplant who undergo non-myeoablative preparative regimens (non-myeoablative means the chemotherapy and radiation given beforehand does not completely destroy their immune system) by cell source:

• Peripheral blood: 42 percent
• Bone marrow: 38 percent

Conclusion

In cancer-talk, surviving for five years after such a procedure is often when doctors consider a patient cured. However, this should only be considered applicable to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients as follicular lymphoma is not considered curable.