ABSTRACT
Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was introduced in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) in the eighties. Twenty five years later, the role of BMT remains a matter of controversy.
In the autologous setting, the use of peripheral blood stem cells instead of bone marrow has markedly improved feasibility. Since randomized studies have shown the superiority of autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) compared to conventional chemotherapy (CC), ASCT has become the standard of care, at least for younger patients (up to the age of 65) without renal failure. However, ASCT is currently challenged again by the introduction of novel agents such as thalidomide, bortezomib or, lenalidomide.
