Immunotherapy in conjunction with autologous and allogeneic blood or marrow transplantation in lymphoma

Relapse is the major obstacle for successful transplantations in lymphoma. One of the ways to reduce relapse rates is to intensify immune-mediated effector mechanisms. Graft-versus-lymphoma may be achieved either by administration of cytokines or by allogeneic cell-mediated adoptive immunotherapy. The use of allogeneic non-myeloablative stem cell transplantation (SCT) is another option which may be applicable to all age groups. It remains to be seen whether non-myeloablative SCT will result in a lesser degree of relapse and higher disease-free survival in lymphoma patients.