Efficacy of Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation versus Chemotherapy or Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Follicular Lymphoma: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: The effect of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) versus conventional chemotherapy or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) on the survival of patients with advanced follicular lymphoma (FL) is uncertain. Objectives: To elucidate this, FL and HSCT were used as keywords to search in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases. Method: After data extraction and quality evaluation, a total of 13 studies were included, seven of which compared auto-HSCT with conventional chemotherapy and the other six compared allo-HSCT with auto-HSCT to the survival of FL patients. Results: The results showed that auto-HSCT improved overall survival (OS), progression-free survival, and event-free survival of FL patients compared with conventional chemotherapy without auto-HSCT. Compared with allo-HSCT, the patients receiving auto-HSCT had longer OS and lower non-recurrent mortality. Conclusions: Auto-HSCT can provide a survival advantage for patients with FL compared with conventional chemotherapy and allo-HSCT did not result in a survival benefit.