[Study of autologous bone marrow transplantation in the treatment of gynecologic carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) in patients with gynecologic carcinoma treated by high-dose chemotherapy. METHODS: This was a presentation of four patients with ovarian carcinoma, two patients with primary fallopian tubal carcinoma, and 5/6 of them clinically staged as III and IV, treated with combination chemotherapy of cytoxan and carboplatin by intraperitoneal and intravenous infusion, the dose being 2.5-5 times those employed conventionaly. Autologous bone marrow collection and storage were conducted under strictly sterile conditions. Chemotherapy was given pre- and post-operatively and ABMT was performed immediately after chemotherapy. Careful follow-up was observed at monthly intervals. RESULTS: All of the six patients tolerated the treatment well, with no death within a median follow-up of 26 months (range 1532). Five of them lived more than 6 months with no evidence of disease. Two patients without gross residual tumor, who could not tolerate conventional chemotherapy which had to be discontinued, successfully received high-dose chemotherapy, supported by ABMT. All four patients with gross residual tumor benefited by immediate clinical remission after treatment. Median survival for all patients was 28 months (range 1253), median survival for stage IV patients was 24 months (range 1230). CONCLUSIONS: Patients subjected to high-dose chemotherapy supported by ABMT are exempted from suffering the cyclic multiple courses of chemotherapy, repeated or long-term hospitalization and may lead a life of good quality.