Reduced Intensity Conditioning for Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Relapsed and Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma: Where Do We Stand?

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation following myeloablative conditioning in relapsed and refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) has been associated with substantial transplant-related morbidity and mortality, as well as high relapse rates. Despite these problems, a minority of patients have experienced long-term remissions and presumably cure. As in other hematologic malignancies, reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) has now been introduced as an alternative approach. The published experience with RIC in HL patients is reviewed. While early transplant-related morbidity and mortality seem markedly reduced and preliminary data on patient outcome look promising, this remains a challenging area and additional work will be needed to clearly define the role of RIC in relapsed and refractory HL.