Higher Doses of Chemo not Necessarily Better

Researchers have found high-dose chemotherapy plus autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) isn't necessarily the most effective treatment for patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. 

The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Lymphoma Group conducted a study in patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma to determine the best treatment option. All patients in the study were initially treated with three cycles of standard chemotherapy. Then, patients who had a complete or partial remission and no cancer in the bone marrow were separated into two groups. One group received three more cycles of standard chemotherapy followed by a combination of high-dose chemo plus ABMT. ABMT is a process in which a patient's healthy bone marrow is withdrawn, preserved and later injected back into the patient to replace bone marrow damaged by high doses of radiation therapy. It's often used to offset the detrimental effects of high-dose radiation. The second group, or the control group, received five additional cycles of standard chemotherapy. 

Five years later, researchers found 61 per cent of the patients in the ABMT group were free of disease progression while 56 per cent were free of progression in the control group. They also found 68 per cent of the patients in the ABMT group were alive after five years while 77 per cent of the control group were still living. 

Researchers conclude standard combination chemotherapy remains the best treatment option for most patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

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