. BEAM vs FEAM conditioning: retrospective study in lymphoma patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplant.

The most widely used high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) before autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) is BEAM regimen (carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan) [1, 2], which is considered the gold standard both in United States and Europe [3, 4]. However, carmustine has been often substituted by other molecules due to its difficult supplying and high costs [3, 5]. In Italy, the most frequently used alternative regimen is FEAM (fotemustine, etoposide, cytarabine, melphalan), in which carmustine is replaced by fotemustine, a third-generation chloroethyl-nitrosourea with ability to cross the blood–brain barrier and a more favorable pulmonary toxicity profile, however not available in all European countries [6]. Even though only two phase-2 studies have been until now published [7, 8], the Italian Regulatory Agency for medical products granted reimbursement of fotemustine by the National Health Service as component of FEAM regimen. Based on these considerations, we aimed to investigate in a retrospective study the comparison between BEAM and FEAM regimen in terms of efficacy and safety in lymphoma patients undergoing ASCT.