Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as salvage treatment for advanced B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Given the generally poor outcome of advanced B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia, experimental approaches are warranted, especially for younger patients in whom classical treatments have failed. We therefore conducted a prospective single-center study, using polychemotherapy (ESHAP) to prepare patients for hematopoietic stem cell collection and autologous stem cell transplantation as consolidation therapy. Twenty patients entered the study. An adequate response to ESHAP was obtained in 13 patients, and sufficient stem cells for grafting were obtained in eight of the 12 patients who underwent the collection procedure. Six of these grafted patients are alive in complete clinical remission a median of 30 months after transplantation. It should be noted that we were only able to graft 40% of the patients enrolled in this study, either because a new remission could not be obtained or because not enough hematopoietic stem cells could be collected. This argues for stem cell collection as soon as a first remission is obtained, even if the autograft is done later in the course of the disease.