Role of Autotransplantation in Treatment of Other Solid Tumors

High-dose therapy with stem cell support in solid tumors

We describe some issues of ongoing studies and results in metastatic and high-risk breast cancer. Caution should be used to not over interpret the outcomes of these data given the patient selection. In other tumors with lesser developed studies, such as with ovarian cancer, non seminomatous germ cell tumors (NSGC), childhood sarcoma, melanoma and limited small cell carcinoma, promising outcomes in small phase II studies are identified and proposed or potential studies comparing high-dose therapy to conventional are outlined. High-dose therapy with either peripheral blood stem cell support (PBSC) or autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) in Phase II studies on a diverse array of solid tumors shows exciting promise of long-term, disease-free survival. Comparative studies in early-stage patients are urgently needed to confirm these outcomes.

Efficacy of peripheral blood stem cell transplantation

With the advancement in apheresis technique and collection, the role of peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation has emerged. PBSC are now being utilized either alone to reconstitute hematopoiesis following high-dose myeloablative therapy, or in combination with autologous bone marrow transplantation to enhance hematopoietic recovery, or as supportive therapy to allow dose-intensity of conventional chemotherapy. The role and efficacy of PBSC transplantation will be reviewed in the article.