Abstract
Combination of anti-retroviral therapy, high-dose chemotherapy (HCT) and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has led to an improved survival of HIV(+) non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients. We compared T- and B-cell subset recovery and related capability to respond to in-vitro stimulation, as well as T-cell repertoire modifications of HIV(+) and HIV(-) NHL patients undergoing HCT and ASCT as first-line consolidation or salvage treatment, using sequential blood samples obtained before and at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after ASCT. B lymphocyte recovery occurred earlier, reaching higher levels in HIV(+) patients as compared to HIV(-) patients and healthy controls; in particular, immature and naïve B cells were significantly higher in HIV(+) patients who had received rituximab in the pre-ASCT period. These lymphocytes equally responded to in-vitro stimulation. Newly produced T cells similarly increased in HIV(+) and HIV(-) NHL patients, but their levels remained constantly lower than in healthy controls. T lymphocytes showed a reduced proliferative capacity, but their repertoire was reassorted by the treatment. The functional and numeric B-cell recovery and the qualitative modifications of T-cell receptor repertoire may explain, at least in part, the success of this aggressive therapeutic approach in HIV(+) patients.