Second malignancies after autologous hematopoietic transplantation (auto-HCT) are more common in Hodgkin lymphoma patients whose diagnosis occurs after age 55, according to a retrospective analysis involving 310 individuals.

Participants had relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma and underwent auto-HCT between 1996 and 2010 with carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan conditioning therapy. Investigators looked at outcomes by age. Among the results:

• Progression free survival was similar in patients regardless of age at a median of 80 months of follow-up.
• Overall mortality odds were more than twice as high in those >55 years of age.
• This contingent was nearly 4 times more likely to have second malignancies.