The effectiveness of therapies for newly diagnosed Hodgkin lymphoma patients has reduced the need for stem cell transplantation. Stem cell transplantation isn't recommended for initial treatment of patients who have Hodgkin lymphoma, but it may provide a cure for patients with relapsed disease. Two types of stem cell transplantation can be used:
- Autologous stem cell transplantation is more frequently used than allogeneic transplantation for Hodgkin lymphoma patients. The goal of autologous stem cell transplantation is to help the body start a new supply of blood cells after high-dose chemotherapy.
With autologous transplantation
- The patient's own stem cells are collected from his/her blood or bone marrow and stored after the first cycles of drug therapy are completed.
- The patient is then given high-dose chemotherapy to kill the lymphoma cells. This treatment also kills normal stem cells in the bone marrow.
- The last step is to infuse the patient's own stored stem cells back into the body.
- Allogeneic stem cell transplantation is a treatment that uses stem cells from a donor. The donor may be a relative or an unrelated person with stem cells that "match" the patient's.
- First, the patient is given high-dose chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy to kill the lymphoma cells in the body.
- Then, stem cells are collected from the donor.
- The donor stem cells are then given to the patient through an intravenous (IV) line or central line. The donor stem cells travel from the patient's blood to the bone marrow and help start a new supply of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets..
Researchers are studying in clinical trials both standard and reduced-intensity allogeneic stem cell transplantation to treat some Hodgkin lymphoma patients who have a matched donor.