[Clinical study of sequential high-dose chemotherapy with in vivo rituximab-purged stem cell autografting for mantle cell lymphoma].

Sequential high-dose chemotherapy with in vivo rituximab-purged stem cell autografting was designed for previously untreated mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). The response rate, disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS) and toxicity were investigated in this trial. Between November 2001 and August 2008, five patients younger than 65 years of age with MCL at diagnosis were enrolled in this study. Initial chemotherapy consisted of 3 cycles of CHOP regimen followed by four courses of high-dose chemotherapy. During the in vivo purging phase, the patient was administered high-dose cyclophosphamide and cytarabine, and then each administration was followed by two infusions of rituximab. Molecular monitoring of minimal residual disease was performed by assessing DNA samples from bone marrow and autografted cells using PCR amplification of the bcl-1/IgH rearrangement. The complete response rate was 100%, and the 3-year OS and DFS were 100% and 100%, respectively. PCR analysis of autografted cells from four evaluable patients, 75% lymphoma-negative harvests were achieved following in vivo purging. One patient relapsed 3.2 years after treatment. The principal toxicity in the study was hematologic but there were no treatment-related deaths. Intensive high-dose sequential chemotherapy with in vivo purged stem cell support can achieve long-term disease-free survival for MCL.