Childhood HCT Survivors Require Life-Long Monitoring for High-Risk Complications

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). The transplant survivor group had a 22-fold increased risk of premature death compared to an age- and sex-matched general population cohort. The increased risk of premature death varied by type of transplant, with allogeneic HCT recipients having an 18.1-fold risk, while autologous HCT recipients had a 41.3-fold risk. The lead researcher concluded that "childhood HCT survivors carry a substantial burden of morbidity, years following completion of therapy, providing clear evidence for their close monitoring in a specialized setting targeting these high risk complications."