Abstract
To date, no prospective randomized trials exist comparing high-dose therapy (HDT) followed by autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (auto-HCT) against conventional therapy for management of peripheral T cell lymphomas either as upfront consolidation or in the relapsed/refractory setting. Available data supporting this approach are limited to single-arm prospective or retrospective studies only. Accordingly, we performed a systematic review/meta-analysis of the published literature. Our search identified 1586 publications, but only 27 (n = 1368) met our inclusion criteria. In the front-line setting, pooled analysis of only prospective studies showed rates of progression-free survival (PFS) of 33% (95% confidence interval [CI], 14% to 56%), overall survival (OS) of 54% (95% CI, 32% to 75%), relapse/progression of 26% (95% CI, 20% to 33%), and transplantation-related mortality (TRM) of 2% (95% CI, 0% to 5%); for retrospective studies, rates of PFS, OS, relapse/progression, TRM, and secondary malignancies were 55% (95% CI, 40% to 69%), 68% (95% CI, 56% to 78%), 36% (95% CI, 24% to 48%), 6% (95% CI, 2% to 11%), and 7% (95% CI, 2% to 14%), respectively. On the other hand, pooled analysis of retrospective studies evaluating HDT/auto-HCT in the relapsed/refractory setting showed pooled rates of PFS, OS, relapse/progression, and TRM of 36% (95% CI, 32% to 40%), 47% (95% CI, 43% to 51%), 51% (95% CI, 39% to 62%), and 10% (95% CI, 5% to 17%), respectively. Among the various histologic subtypes, PFS and OS rates appear to be higher in anaplastic large cell lymphoma, regardless of disease stage. In the absence of a multicenter, randomized controlled trial comparing HDT/auto-HCT to a nontransplantation strategy, the findings of this systematic review/meta-analysis may represent the best evidence supporting the role of HDT/auto-HCT for treatment of peripheral T cell lymphomas as front-line consolidation or in the relapsed/refractory setting.