A study of 117 adults with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) undergoing lower-intensity HCT using HLA-matched sibling donors found that transplant outcomes were comparable between older patients (>40 years) and younger patients (≤40 years). Five-year failure-free survival was similar (younger patients: 73.7% vs. older patients: 81.0%; p=0.73) as was overall survival (younger patients: 93.7% vs. older patients: 88.9%; p=0.20). Five-year rates of acute grade II-IV GVHD, chronic GVHD, secondary graft failure, and transplant-related mortality were not significantly different. The researchers concluded that matched sibling donor HCT using a lower-dose conditioning regimen “may be a feasible first-line treatment even in older patients with SAA.”
Shin SH, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant