Treatment options for recurrent lymphomas.

The prognosis of patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas who fail to achieve a complete remission or who relapse following initial chemotherapy has improved dramatically in recent years. Bone marrow transplantation now provides a curative option and is the current treatment of choice. Conventional chemotherapeutic regimens are not capable of salvaging these patients; however, most patients should be treated with chemotherapy to induce a temporary remission prior to the transplantation procedure. Numerous studies are currently attempting to improve preparative chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. Since conventional chemotherapy provides short-term palliation only, patients who are not candidates for transplantation should be entered into investigational protocols.