HDC followed by autologous stem-cell support is a well-tolerated therapeutic approach for patients with poor-prognosis ovarian carcinoma. In this report, the 59.9% survival of 53 patients at 5 years must be compared to the 20% to 30% 5-year survival observed after conventional therapy. These results should be confirmed by an ongoing prospective randomized trial.

Summary. There is a need for fast and sensitive methods to evaluate the response of patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) to interferon-a (IFN-a) therapy to complement cytogenetic analysis of Philadelphia (Ph) chromosomepositive metaphases. We have used interphase FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) and competitive RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction) techniques for detection of BCR-ABL-positive cells to measure suppression of leukaemic clone in a series of 51 follow-up samples from 24 CML patients undergoing IFN-a treatment. Interphase FISH analysis of the malignant clone in bone marrow using BCR and ABL probes was found to be highly correlated to conventional G-banding metaphase examination (r ¼ 0·98). RT-PCR quantification of BCR-ABL mRNA transcripts in blood also showed a high degree of concordance with the proportion of Ph-positive metaphases (r ¼ 0·93). In addition, the degree of cytogenetic response did not influence the equivalence between karyotype analysis and molecular methods. We concluded that interphase FISH and competitive RT-PCR provide reliable information on residual tumour burden and response to IFN-a in CML patients. These molecular methods may significantly improve the efficiency of residual disease monitoring during IFN-a therapy of CML.

Summary:graft contains monocytes which produce several cytokines including G-CSF. 6,7 Randomized studies have demonstrated that r-Hu G-CSF In this placebo-controlled randomized trial we evaluated the hematological and clinical effects of r-Hu GM-(recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) or r-Hu GM-CSF (recombinant human granulocyte-macro-CSF after high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) followed by GM-CSF-mobilized PBPC transplantation. Fifty phage colony-stimulating factor) accelerate granulocyte recovery after bone marrow transplantation. [8][9][10][11][12] On the patients with poor prognosis malignancies were randomized in a double-blind study to receive either GMother hand, there are few and controversial reports concerning the efficiency of colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) on CSF or placebo after HDC followed by PBPC rescue. For all patients, PBPCs were recruited using a combithe hematological recovery and on the frequency of infectious complications after PBPC transplantation. [13][14][15][16][17][18] At the nation of VP-16 (300 mg/m 2 on days 1 and 2), cytoxan (3 g/m 2 on days 3 and 4) and GM-CSF (5 g/kg from present time, no randomized studies are available regarding the effect of GM-CSF after PBPC transplantation and retroday 5). No differences were demonstrated between the two groups in median time to neutrophil or platelet spective studies are few and not conclusive. 19In this unicenter placebo-controlled randomized trial we recoveries. There was no significant difference between the GM-CSF group and the placebo group in the investigate the effect of r-Hu GM-CSF after GM-CSF-mobilized PBPC transplant. We report neutrophil and platelet median duration of post-transplant hospitalization, in the number of days of antibiotic treatment, in the numrecoveries and related clinical parameters such as the number of febrile days, the rate of infections, the duration of ber of infections and in red blood cell or platelet transfusion requirements. There was a significant difference parenteral antibiotherapy and the time to discharge from hospital after PBPC transplantation. with an advantage for the placebo group in the mean duration of febrile days (P = 0.01). We conclude that the administration of GM-CSF in patients transplanted Patients and methods with GM-CSF-mobilized PBPC is not associated with a clinical benefit in term of tempo of engraftment, numInclusion criteria bers of documented infections, transfusion requirements and mucositis grading.

Most patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD) are cured with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. However, half of those with advanced stage disease (IIIB, IV) do not respond adequately to treatment or relapse. Salvage therapy used in such cases gives from 10% to 50% complete remission but only 10% long term survival. The results of bone marrow transplantation reported in acute leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma encouraged some authors to develop this new therapeutic strategy in Hodgkin's disease. In the early 1980's promising results were achieved when refractory and relapsed patients were selected to receive myeloablative therapy followed by bone marrow transplantation. Today, high dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is used more and more often in poor prognosis Hodgkin's disease. After a review of the literature concerning the results of transplantation in Hodgkin's disease, we develop the numerous problems associated with this procedure which remain to be solved such as: the optimal indication, the timing of HSCT, the type of graft, the conditioning regimen, the place of radiotherapy and the optimal use of hematopoietic growth factors. We conclude with future prospects.