High-dose melphalan versus busulfan, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide as preparative regimens for autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with multiple myeloma

High-dose chemotherapy (HDC) with autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) has improved response rates and survival for patients with multiple myeloma (MM). We report a single-institution experience using two conditioning regimens, busulfan, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide (BCV) or high-dose melphalan (HDM). Between July 1992 and August 2003, 110 patients with MM (median age = 56.1) underwent HDC with ASCT using either BCV (n = 62) or HDM (n = 48) in sequential cohorts as the preparative regimen. Overall response rates, progression-free survival, and median overall survival were similar. BCV and HDM confer similar long-term outcomes with similar toxicity profiles as conditioning regimens prior to autologous stem cell transplant in patients with MM.