Outcomes of Autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with primary refractory Diffuse Large B-cell lymphoma who demonstrate chemosensitivity to salvage chemotherapy.

Rituximab with anthracycline-based combination frontline chemoimmunotherapy can cure 50-60% of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, studies on the outcomes of patients with DLBCL who experience partial response (PR), stable or progressive disease in response to frontline rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (RCHOP) therapy are limited, as are data on the outcomes of high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in patients with primary refractory DLBCL who demonstrate chemosensitivity to salvage chemotherapy (SC). We assessed the latter among 184 patients, 144 of whom started SC, with 84 responding and 72 receiving HDC-ASCT.