Recent Research
Stay up-to-date on the advancing field of HCT with short summaries and links to the most relevant published research.
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A safe and effective shared care approach after allogeneic HCT could be a new standard of care
December 2022Abel GA, et al. – Research presented at the 64th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition showed a shared care approach after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation did not compromise non-relapse mortality and may be associated with improved quality of life. -
New evidence based guidance to assist healthcare providers in helping patients return to work post transplant
December 2022Salit RB, et al. – The American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) gathered a panel of experts in survivorship, rehabilitation, and psychological and logistical challenges to review research about patients with hematologic cancers returning to work post-hematopoietic cell transplantation. These experts produced an evidence-based guidance document to assist healthcare providers in navigating the barriers of post-transplant care and optimizing collaboration to help patients achieve this quality-of-life milestone. -
Lack of collaborative relationships between physician teams associated with HCT care decisions
April 2022Steffens K, et al. – Research shared at the 2022 Tandem Meetings of the ASTCT and CIBMTR presents survey outcomes from community hematology/oncology physicians regarding the strength of their relationships with local transplant centers. Community physicians with a lower self-rated relationship strength with transplant centers reported less support for early HCT treatment behaviors and lower confidence in managing patients post-transplant.
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Haploidentical HCT is viable alternative to matched sibling HCT in patients with AML in CR1
July 2019Rashidi A, et al., Blood Advances – This large-scale retrospective study compared outcomes of adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in first complete remission (CR1) undergoing haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) (n=336) versus 869 patients who underwent matched sibling donor (MSD) HCT. Results indicate that both cohorts had comparable overall survival, leukemia-free survival, non-relapse mortality, relapse, and grade II-IV acute GVHD. -
Gait speed can predict survival, hospital use in older patients with blood cancers
July 2019Liu MA, et al., Blood – Researchers assessing gait speed and grip strength in 314 patients aged 75 and older with MDS/leukemia, myeloma, or lymphoma found that a decrease in gait speed was significantly associated with higher mortality, increased unplanned hospitalizations, and emergency department (ED) visits. A decrease in grip strength was associated with significantly worse survival, but not hospital or ED use. -
Continued vigilance needed to prevent infections for HCT recipients
January 2019A recent study found late fatal infections (LFI) contributed to one-third of the deaths of both adult and pediatric patients who had survived more than 2 years after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). The results highlight the importance of ongoing monitoring and preventive measures for infect
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Donor-derived LMP-Ts are a safe adjuvant therapy after allo HCT for EBV-associated lymphomas
November 2018McLaughlin LP, et al. Blood - Autologous T cells targeting Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent membrane proteins (LMPs) have been shown safe and effective for the treatment of patients with type II latency EBV-associated lymphomas for whom standard therapies have failed. However, up until now, the safety and efficacy of this treatment had not been established for patients who have received an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT).
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Are the presence of post-HCT mutations in patients with MDS associated with higher risk of disease progression?
October 2018Duncavage EJ, et al. N Engl J Med. – An exploratory study of 90 adults with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) evaluated the association of mutations detected after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) with disease progression and survival.
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Experts Highlight Latest Advances in Immunotherapies for Hematologic Diseases
July 2018Paczesny S, et al. Blood – This series in the journal Blood outlines both current obstacles and new opportunities for the future on a selection of emerging immunotherapies now available to patients with hematologic diseases. -
Consensus Statement on HCT Late Effects Screening Guidelines in Hemoglobinopathies
June 2018Shenoy S, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – An international panel of HCT experts has updated late effects screening guidelines for pediatric transplantation for hemoglobinopathies, focusing on sickle cell disease and thalassemia. -
Spotlight on Novel Therapies to Improve Post-HCT Graft-Versus-Leukemia Effects
April 2018Zeiser R, et al. Blood – The latest research in cellular therapies, antibody-based treatments, and tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-based approaches to enhance GVL effects are outlined in articles published in a special edition of Blood. -
HCT and Neurocognitive Dysfunction: Recognizing Risk Factors and Developing Treatments
March 2018Buchbinder D, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant – Neurocognitive dysfunction, including symptoms such as memory impairment, decreased concentration, and difficulty in performing multiple tasks simultaneously, can significantly affect hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) patients’ quality of life, and is a major cause of post-transplant morbidity and mortality. -
Lifestyle Modifications Reduce Risk of Heart Disease after HCT
March 2018Leger KJ, et al. Cancer – Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) survivors are at a higher risk than the general population for developing a number of adverse health issues, including heart disease. -
Study Identifies Key Factors Influencing the Decision to Pursue HCT for Sickle Cell Disease
January 2018Khemani K, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – Currently, hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) is the only treatment for sickle cell disease (SCD) with a curative intent. -
Allo-HCT Can Be an Effective Salvage Therapy for Multiple Myeloma
January 2018Montefusco V, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant – In this study of 71 patients with multiple myeloma undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), 5-year overall survival (OS) was 60%, with better outcomes in patients ≤55 years and in those transplanted with chemosensitive disease. -
Survivorship Care Plans for HCT Recipients Reduce Cancer Treatment Distress
December 2017Majhail NS, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2017 – According to results of a randomized, multicenter study, hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) patients receiving post-transplant survivorship care plans (SCPs) had significantly lower levels of cancer treatment distress, compared to HCT recipients receiving routine post-transplant care. -
HCT Significantly Improves Quality of Life in Children with Sickle Cell Disease
December 2017Bernaudin F, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2017 – Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) have significantly better physical health and school functioning after transplantation than do those receiving chronic transfusion, according to results of a donor/no donor study of 67 patients with SCD. -
Maintenance with Rituximab Prolongs Survival after Auto-HCT for Mantle Cell Lymphoma
November 2017Le Gouill S, et al. N Engl J Med – Rituximab maintenance therapy after autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) significantly prolonged event-free survival, progression-free survival, and overall survival in patients with mantle cell lymphoma, according to a phase III randomized study of 299 patients <66 years old. -
Report: Strategies for Overcoming Neurocognitive Dysfunction in HCT Recipients
November 2017Kelly DL, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – An international panel of experts has issued a report on neurocognitive dysfunction after HCT to help clinicians understand the scope of this health-related problem, highlight its impact on the well-being of survivors, and help determine factors that may improve identification of patients at risk for declines in cognitive functioning after HCT. -
Case Studies Outline Strategies for Long-Term Monitoring of Adult HCT Survivors
October 2017Bhatia S, et al. Blood – Using 4 case studies of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) recipients, the authors of this “How I treat …” series in the journal Blood illustrate the challenges involved in providing long-term care for HCT survivors, and then propose several “best practice” models for risk-based screening. -
Palliative Care Leads to Improvements in Post-HCT Depression and PTSD
October 2017El-Jawahri A, et al. J Clin Oncol – Integrating palliative care with hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) can improve depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms at 6 months post-transplant according to a randomized study of 160 transplant recipients. -
New Patient Care Coordination Model Addresses Complexities of HCT Therapy
September 2017Khera N, et al. Blood Advances – A multi-disciplinary team has proposed a care coordination framework to deliver a continuum of care to hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) patients. -
30% of Very Young HCT Recipients Experience One or More Late Effects
June 2017Vrooman LM, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant - This multi-center study showed that children under 3 years old who undergo HCT are at high risk for late effects. After 1 year, 30% had developed 1 or more organ toxicity or transplant-related complication. -
Successful Post-HCT Immune Suppression Discontinuation Factors Identified
April 2017Pidala J, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – A multi-center study of 827 hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients has identified the factors that predict successful post-HCT immune suppression discontinuation (ISD). -
Multi-Center Study Identifies Biomarkers Associated with HCT Outcomes
February 2017Zaid MA, et al. Blood – This prospective, multi-center study confirmed the correlation of plasma-derived proteins, previously assessed only in single-center cohorts, with the potential to improve diagnosis, assess risk and manage complications after allogeneic HCT. -
Review: New Targeted Therapies to Treat or Prevent Chronic GVHD
February 2017Cutler CS, et al. Blood – In this review, the authors summarize the current preclinical studies and early-phase clinical trial results on the following new chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) therapeutic techniques. Many of these new approaches target specific immunologic pathways now known to play a role in chronic GVHD. -
Report: Long-Term Follow Up Needed after HCT for CLL
January 2017van Gelder M, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant – Although allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is the only curative therapy for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a new study shows that HCT results in a higher mortality rate in transplant recipients compared to an age-, sex- and calendar year-matched general population. -
Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Improves Post-HCT Outcomes in Patients with AML
December 2016Brunner AM, et al. Br J Haematol – In a single-center study of consecutive adults with FLT3 - internal tandem duplication (ITD) acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 29 patients transplanted in first complete remission (CR1) who received post-transplant sorafenib had significantly better outcomes than 55 patients in a control cohort. -
New NIH Report: Recommended Follow-Up for Long-Term Survivors after HCT
December 2016Battiwalla M, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – This report outlines the recommendations issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Late Effects Consensus Conference to plan the next phase of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) research “to ensure that no survivor is left behind.” -
Adding Sirolimus to Standard GVHD Prophylaxis Significantly Reduces Acute GVHD
December 2016Sandmaier B, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2016 – Adding sirolimus to a standard graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and cyclosporine (CSP) can significantly reduce the risks of grades II-IV and III-IV acute GVHD and non-relapse mortality (NRM), according to results of a phase 3 multi-center randomized trial presented at ASH. -
Comparable HCT Survival and Incidence of Toxicity for Patients ≥60 Years
December 2016Shah GL, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2016 – Survival of patients ≥60 years undergoing ex vivo CD34+ selected reduced-intensity hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) was comparable to that of patients <60 years, according to research presented at ASH. -
Evidence-Based Screening and Prevention Recommendations for Post-Transplant MetS
October 2016DeFilipp Z, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant – Long-term hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients have a substantial risk (prevalence rates of 31-49% have been reported in the literature) of developing metabolic syndrome (MetS) and therefore a concurrent higher risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and all-cause mortality. -
Better 5-Year QOL after Marrow Transplant than after PBSC Transplant
September 2016Lee SJ, et al. JAMA Oncol – A secondary analysis of 195 recipients from the randomized, multi-center (n=551) Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network trial (BMT CTN 0201), found that bone marrow (BM) recipients experienced significantly better psychological well-being and less burdensome chronic GVHD symptoms five years after HCT than peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) recipients did. -
Pre-HCT Genetic Profiling Can Identify AML Patients at Increased Risk for Relapse
September 2016Luskin MR, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – Researchers used next generation sequencing (NGS) of 26 genes and found mutations in TP53, WT1 and FLT3-ITD were associated with an increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) relapse after HCT (adjusted Hazard Ratio [aHR] 2.90, p=0.009; aHR 2.51, p=0.02; and aHR 1.83, p=0.07, respectively). -
TKIs Can Effectively Treat Post-Transplant Relapse Risk in Patients with Ph+ ALL
September 2016Lussana F, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – Researchers analyzing prospective data from two consecutive clinical trials have demonstrated that patients with Philadelphia-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with measurable pre-transplant levels of minimal residual disease (MRD) have a significantly higher risk of relapse. -
Pre-Transplant Emotional Support Contributes to Longer Survival
September 2016Ehrlich KB, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant – Researchers have found that good pre-transplant emotional support predicts longer overall survival at 2 years. -
Higher Post-Relapse Survival with Related or Unrelated HCT than Haploidentical HCT
August 2016Solh M, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant – This single-center study of 237 consecutive patients who relapsed after HCT found that one-year post-relapse survival (PRS) was significantly higher in patients receiving matched related and matched unrelated grafts compared to those receiving haploidentical donor transplants using post-transplant cyclophosphamide. -
Biomarker Panel Can Predict Risk of Chronic GVHD
August 2016Yu J, et al. J Clin Oncol – Researchers analyzing plasma samples of 53 HCT recipients identified 4 proteins that when used in a biomarker panel was prognostic of developing chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). -
Use of TKIs to Prevent Relapse after HCT for Patients with Ph+ ALL
July 2016Giebel S, et al. Cancer – This consensus report from the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) gives an overview of clinical studies on the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) to prevent relapse after allogeneic HCT for Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). -
Improved Survival Over Time in Pediatric HCT
July 2016Svenberg P, et al. Ped Transplant – A long-term study of pediatric allogeneic transplants found that outcomes improved over time, with significantly improved overall survival (OS) in transplants performed in the 2003-2013 time period compared to those performed in 1992-2002. -
Comparable Survival, More GVHD Risk Using EBV-Seropositive HCT Donors
July 2016Styczynski J, et al. J Clin Oncol – A large-scale retrospective study of the effect of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) serostatus on outcomes of allogeneic HCT in 11,364 patients with acute leukemia found that patients receiving grafts from EBV-seropositive donors had the same overall survival as patients who received grafts from EBV-seronegative donors. -
Study Confirms Effective Treatment of Veno-Occulusive Disease Using Defibrotide
July 2016Strouse C, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – A large-scale retrospective study found that treatment with defibrotide can be an effective treatment for post-HCT veno-occlusive disease (VOD) and severe VOD (VOD with multi-organ failure). -
Sustained Long-Term Financial Burden of Allo-HCT on Patients/Caregivers
May 2016Denzen EM, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant – Results of a 2-year pilot study of 16 allogeneic HCT recipients and their caregivers found that only half of patients who contributed to household income prior to HCT returned to work and a significant portion still faced financial challenges at least 2 years post-HCT. -
Review: HCT Vaccination Guidelines
April 2016Carpenter PA, et al. Blood – In this installment of the “How I treat …” series in Blood, the authors present a concise practical review of vaccination guidelines for HCT recipients. -
Reduced Risk of Chronic GVHD with Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide
April 2016Mielcarek M, et al. Blood – High-dose cyclophosphamide administered after peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation can reduce the risk of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), according to a single-center study of 43 patients. -
Higher Rates of Infection after Marrow Compared to PBSC Transplants
April 2016Young J-A H, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – A study of unrelated donor hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) recipients in a phase 3 Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN) trial has shown that bone marrow graft recipients had higher rates of bacterial and pre-engraftment infections than did peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) recipients. -
Low Incidence of Late Cardiovascular Complications after Pediatric HCT
February 2016Duncan CN, et al. BMT Tandem Meetings abstract oral presentation, February 2016 – Serious cardiovascular (CV) late effects are uncommon in pediatric transplant survivors, according to a multi-center study of 661 children who underwent hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for hematologic malignancy between 1995 and 2008. -
Children Under 3 Years Old Undergoing HCT Require Long-Term Monitoring for Late Effects
February 2016Vrooman L, et al. BMT Tandem Meetings abstract oral presentation, February 2016 – A study of myeloablative hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) performed in children under 3 years old has found that although transplant-related mortality at 10 years is only 5%, recipients require monitoring for late complications. -
Risk Factors Identified for Post-HCT Depression, Fatigue
February 2016Jim HSL, et al. Cancer – An analysis of long-term survivors of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has identified clinical risk factors for post-transplant depression and fatigue. -
Review: Maintenance with TKIs Post-Transplant in FLT3-ITD Positive AML
February 2016Schiller GJ, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – This review discusses the clinical evidence on FLT3-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) being used as post-transplant maintenance in patients with FLT3-ITD acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) who are at high-risk for disease relapse. -
Children’s Oncology Group: Long-Term Follow-Up Guidelines After Pediatric HCT
February 2016Chow EJ, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – The Children’s Oncology Group (COG) has updated its Long-Term Follow-Up Guidelines for survivors of childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancer, including those undergoing autologous or allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and malignant and non-malignant diseases. -
Improved Outcomes in HCT Recipients with Acute GVHD Over Time
January 2016El-Jawahri A, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – A retrospective analysis of 427 hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) recipients who develop grades III or IV acute GVHD has found that outcomes have improved over time, with significantly lower transplant-related mortality (TRM) and increased overall survival (OS) in more recent transplants. -
Quality of Life Better After Marrow Transplant Than After PBSC Transplant
December 2015Lee SJ, et al. ASH oral presentation, December 2015 – A secondary analysis of the large-scale (n=551) Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN) randomized study of unrelated donor bone marrow (BM) vs. peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplant has found that BM recipients have better psychological well-being and less burdensome chronic GVHD symptoms than PBSC recipients. -
Meeting the Needs of HCT Recipients Transitioning from Childhood to Adulthood
December 2015Cupit MC, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant – In this review, the authors use clinical vignettes to discuss the focused and specific survivorship needs of the growing pediatric and adolescent and young adult (AYA) populations after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). -
Pre-Transplant Patient-Reported Physical Health Predicts Post-Transplant Mortality
November 2015Wood WA, et al. Cancer – Pre-transplant patient-reported outcomes (PROs) on a physical health scale independently predicted overall mortality (hazards ratio, 1.40 per 10-point decrease; p<0.001) of 336 allogeneic and 310 autologous HCT recipients enrolled in the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network 0902 protocol. -
Ruxolitinib Effective in Treating Steroid-Refractory GVHD
September 2015Zeiser R, et al. Leukemia – Ruxolitinib therapy to treat corticosteroid-refractory acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in transplant recipients can achieve response rates >80%, according to a multi-center study of 95 patients treated with this JAK1/2 inhibitor. -
Novel Agents for Consolidation and Maintenance Therapy After Auto-HCT for Multiple Myeloma
August 2015Mohty M, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant – Substantial improvements in the depth of response prior to transplant has been seen with the use of novel agents such as proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs. -
Review: Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among HCT Recipients
May 2015Chakraborty R, et al. Cancer — Clinicians are often reluctant to provide specific complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapy recommendations despite use by a growing group of HCT survivors. -
Haploidentical HCT with Cyclophosphamide for High-Risk Leukemias
April 2015Symons H, et al. Oral presentation, BMT Tandem Meetings — Myeloablative transplants using T-cell-replete haploidentical grafts and post-transplant cyclophosphamide can result in a 2-year overall survival (OS) of 57%, with cumulative incidence of relapse reaching 44% at 3 years according to results of a phase II study presented at the BMT Tandem Meetings. -
Outcomes of Extracorporeal Photopheresis Better in Early Stage GVHD
April 2015Berger M, et al. Transfusion — A study of extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) in 71 patients has shown that the procedure is effective in treating steroid-refractory or -dependent acute GVHD or chronic GVHD with lower severity in the early stages. -
New Guidelines for Secondary Solid Cancer Screening Following HCT
April 2015Inamoto Y, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant — The incidence of secondary malignancies rises after HCT, with the most common occurrences in the oral cavity, skin, breast, and thyroid, according to this consensus report from CIBMTR and EBMT. -
Validated Chronic GVHD Risk Score Can Predict Major HCT Outcomes
March 2015Arora M, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant — A chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) risk score, used to predict mortality in patients with GVHD, has now been validated by additional analysis of 1,128 patients with chronic GVHD transplanted between 2005 and 2007. -
AZA, DLI Effective Therapy for MDS, AML with Low Disease Burden
March 2015Schroeder T, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant — Results of a multicenter analysis have found that azacitidine (AZA) and donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI) can be a successful therapy for relapse after allogeneic HCT. -
Post-HCT Fungal and Viral Infections: Improving Outcomes over Time
February 2015Parody R, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant — This retrospective analysis comparing post-transplant infections in cord blood (n=65) and bone marrow/PBSC transplant recipients (n=369) found that although cord blood transplantation was associated with a higher risk of invasive aspergillosis and cytomegalovirus infections, infection-related mortality was comparable in the two types of transplants. -
Review: Collaborative Partnerships to Manage Patients with Chronic GVHD
January 2015Flowers MED, et al. Blood — In this review titled “How we treat chronic graft-versus-host disease” the authors outline their strategies for treating chronic GVHD, emphasizing that transplant center physicians and the hematology and oncology specialists who offer ongoing supportive care need to be collaborative partners to best manage their patients who develop chronic GVHD. -
Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide Yields Comparable Outcomes Across Donor Types and Conditioning Regimens
December 2014McCurdy SR, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2014 — Adults transplanted for advanced or poor-risk hematologic malignancies can have comparable outcomes using haploidentical, related donor, or unrelated donor grafts when high-dose post-transplant cyclophosphamide is administered to reduce graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), according to study results presented at ASH. -
Long-Term Impact of TBI on Cognitive Functioning in Pediatric HCT
November 2014Willard VW, et al. J Clin Oncol — Using total-body irradiation (TBI) in pre-transplant conditioning regimens lowers cognitive ability, according to a study of 315 pediatric hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients. -
HCT Prognostic Index Guides Clinical Decision-Making
November 2014Sorror ML, et al. J Clin Oncol — New research into a composite prognostic index combining age and comorbidities has validated the utility of the index to guide clinical decision-making in HCT. -
Review Series in Blood Journal: Advances in HCT
August 2014Negrin RS, et al. Blood — Scientific and clinical translational research highlighting treatment advances in the field of HCT are available in five review articles in Blood. -
Younger, Older HCT Recipients Have Comparable QOL
August 2014Hamilton BK, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant — Older transplant recipients experienced comparable quality of life (QOL) when compared with younger recipients, according to a new prospective study of 351 transplant recipients surveyed between 2003 and 2010. -
Tacrolimus-Sirolimus Comparable to Tacrolimus-Methotrexate as GVHD Prophylaxis
August 2014Cutler C, et al. Blood – A phase 3 Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN) study of 304 randomized patients demonstrated that tacrolimus and sirolimus (Tac/Sir) was comparable to tacrolimus and methotrexate (Tac/Mtx) in preventing acute GVHD and early mortality after related donor hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). -
Review: Critical Need for Long-Term Follow-Up Care after HCT
July 2014Hashmi S, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant — Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) recipients have a unique set of complications and late effects that require specialized care and preventive services to maximize long-term survival. -
Large-Scale Study Validates Prognostic Value of HCT Disease Risk Index
May 2014Armand P, et al. Blood — A new study of 13,131 hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients whose outcomes were reported to the CIBMTR (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research) has validated the prognostic value of the Disease Risk Index (DRI). -
Pre-Transplant Comorbidities Predict Severity of Acute GVHD
May 2014Sorror ML, et al. Blood — A multi-center study of 2,985 allogeneic transplants has demonstrated that the hematopoietic cell transplantation comorbidity index (HCT-CI) can predict the severity of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and subsequent mortality. -
Long-Term Study Shows HCT Survival Increasing over Time
May 2014Malard F, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant — This single-center study analyzed 827 allogeneic transplants and compared outcomes in three time periods: 1983-1990, 1991-2000, and 2001-2010. -
Geriatric Assessments Can Predict HCT Outcomes in Older Adults
May 2014Muffly LS, et al. Haematologica — A geriatric assessment (GA) tool has independent prognostic utility in allogeneic HCT outcomes in patients aged 50 years and older, according to a study of 203 older adults. -
Review: Preserving Fertility in HCT Recipients
April 2014Joshi S, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant - In this review, the authors note that the optimal time to address fertility issues in patients considering HCT is before the onset of therapy for the underlying disease, and that a referral to a reproductive specialist should be made for patients interested in fertility preservation. -
NCI Report: Prevention and Treatment of Relapse after Allo-HCT
January 2014De Lima M, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant - A report from the National Cancer Institute on the prevention and treatment of relapse after allogeneic transplantation. -
Peri-Transplant Rituximab in Lymphoma Can Lead to Durable Event-Free Survival
December 2013Sauter CS, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant - Non-myeloablative transplantation incorporating peri-transplant-rituximab can lead to a two-year event-free survival (EFS) of 72%, according to results of a prospective trial of 51 patients with CD20+ B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. -
Imatinib to Treat Steroid-Refractory Chronic GVHD
December 2013Olivieri A, et al. Blood - In this prospective trial, researchers administered imatinib to treat steroid-refractory chronic GVHD in 39 adult transplant recipients aged 28-73 years. -
Inhibition of IL-6 Can Offer “Profound Protection” from Acute GVHD
December 2013Kennedy GA, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2013 – Grade II-IV and grade III-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is significantly reduced in transplant recipients receiving a monoclonal antibody inhibiting interleukin-6 (IL-6), according to research results presented at ASH. -
Childhood HCT Survivors Require Life-Long Monitoring for High-Risk Complications
December 2013Armenian S, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2013 – Pediatric hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients can experience high-risk health complications well into adulthood, and therefore require close monitoring, according to results of 317 pediatric HCT survivors participating in the Bone Marrow Transplant Survivor Study (BMTSS). -
Understanding Factors in Long-Term HCT Outcome in Fanconi Anemia
November 2013Peffault de Latour RP, et al. Blood - The estimated 20-year survival of 795 Fanconi anemia (FA) patients who underwent first HCT between 1972 and 2010 is 49%, according to this multi-center study published in Blood. -
Personalized Prognostic Information for Adult Leukemia Survivors after HCT
November 2013Lee SJ, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant - By analyzing outcomes data of 3,339 adults with AML and 1,434 adults with ALL submitted to the CIBMTR, researchers have developed formulas to estimate future leukemia-free survival (LFS) of transplant recipients surviving one year or more post-transplant. -
Immune-Modulating Drugs, Hypomethylating Agents to Treat Relapse
October 2013Kröger N, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant - This review summarizes the current knowledge and potential use of immune-modulating drugs and hypomethylating agents in preventing or treating relapse after allogeneic HCT. -
Meta-Analysis: HCT Does Not Affect Cognitive Functioning in Adults
October 2013Phillips KM, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant - A meta-analysis of 11 studies on HCT and cognitive functioning has found that cognitive functioning does not significantly change following HCT. -
Post-HCT Rituximab Prophylaxis Can Reduce Chronic GVHD
September 2013Cutler C, et al. Blood. - In this trial of 65 patients, administering post-transplant rituximab (375 mg/m2 IV) at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after transplantation resulted in significantly lower two-year cumulative incidence of systemic corticosteroid-requiring chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) compared to a concurrent control group: 31% vs. 48.5% respectively (p=0.015).
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Report: Prophylaxis and Treatment of GVHD
August 2013Ruutu T, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant - A working group formed by the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) and European LeukemiaNet has developed recommendations for prophylaxis and treatment of acute and chronic GVHD.
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Lower Chronic GVHD in Double Cord Blood HCT
August 2013Malard F, et al. Leukemia - Double cord blood and 9/10 matched unrelated donor reduced-intensity transplants have similar outcomes, but using cord blood results in a significantly lower incidence of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), according to a study of 152 patients (median age 53 years) transplanted for hematological malignancies. -
Long-Term Follow-Up of HCT Recipients Made Easier
July 2013Majhail NS, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant - A summary of the updated screening and preventive practices guidelines for HCT recipients focusing on ways that health care providers can effectively integrate the guidelines into clinical practice. -
How I Treat Older Patients with ALL
June 2013Gökbuget N. Blood - In this installment of the “How I Treat” series in the journal Blood, Dr. Nicola Gökbuget outlines how improved supportive care, targeted therapies, moderately intensified consolidation, and reduced-intensity hematopoietic cell transplantation have improved outcomes somewhat for older patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). -
Long-Term Follow-Up of Caregivers for HCT recipients
April 2013Wulff-Burchfield EM, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant - This article provides an overview of the long-term physical and psychosocial issues affecting caregivers: the spouses, partners, and/or children of hematopoietic cell transplant recipients.
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New Autoimmune Diseases after Cord Blood Transplantation
January 2013Daikeler T, et al. Blood - An analysis of 726 cord blood transplants reported to the European cord blood transplant database has found that the cumulative incidence of autoimmune disease developing post-transplant in these patients was 5.0% at 1 year and 6.6% at 5 years. -
Marrow, PBSC Have Comparable Survival; More cGVHD with PBSC
November 2012Anasetti C, et al. N Eng J Med - A phase III, multi-center, randomized trial comparing peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) and bone marrow transplant outcomes has found comparable 2-year survival.