Dr. Alvarnas on Stem Cell Transplant for HIV-Associated Lymphoma

Joseph Alvarnas, MD, the director of Medical Quality at City of Hope National Medical Center, discusses autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHCT) for patients with HIV-associated lymphoma.

A​ recent phase II study compared HIV-associated lymphoma with lymphoma patients without HIV and found that both groups had similar outcomes after AHCT. The one-year survival rate for the HIV-lymphoma patients was 86%.

This research is extremely promising, says Alvarnas, because it was previously believed that those with HIV-associated lymphoma could not undergo transplant safely and were instead treated with minimal chemotherapy or less intense therapies.