A Simple Model For Predicting Post-Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation Outcome In Patients With Relapsed/Primary Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma

Introduction: Current Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) therapies result in 80-90% progression-free survival (PFS). However, about 10-20% of patients with advanced disease relapse. The standard treatment for primary progressive or relapsed disease is salvage chemotherapy. For patients responding to this treatment, high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is recommended. In a recently published study, an addition of post-transplant therapy has improved PFS. However, as this approach is associated with additional toxicity and increased financial burden, precise identification of patients who could benefit from this strategy is crucial. Our study provides outcome data of an unselected group of HL patients and suggests a model identifying individuals at high risk of disease progression in whom post-ASCT therapy could be advantageous.