'GVHD': graft-versus-host disease or graft-versus-Hodgkin's disease? An old acronym with new meaning

Bone Marrow Transplant. 2003 May;31(9):739-46. doi: 10.1038/sj.bmt.1703895.

Abstract

The majority of patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) will not be cured with standard therapy. Relapse rates remain high even after autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT), particularly for patients with high-risk disease. Allogeneic SCT offers several potential advantages for patients with HL. It is feasible when autologous stem cells are not available and stem cell grafts will be tumor free. Perhaps a more important advantage is the potential to generate a graft-versus-Hodgkin's lymphoma (GVHL) effect. Unfortunately, although allogeneic SCT may cure some HL patients, treatment-related mortality has been unusually high, and superior survival, when compared to autologous SCT, has not been demonstrated. Nonmyeloablative conditioning and allogeneic SCT may induce a direct GVHL reaction with less conditioning regimen-related toxicity and ultimately may have the potential to improve cure rates and survival for advanced HL patients.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Graft vs Host Disease* / therapy
  • Graft vs Tumor Effect*
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / adverse effects
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / methods
  • Hodgkin Disease / therapy*
  • Humans
  • Lymphocyte Transfusion / methods