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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Evaluation of new GVHD prevention regimens shows promising results
April 2019Bolaños-Meade J, et al., The Lancet Haematology – In a prospective, phase II trial, researchers found that tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, with post-hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) cyclophosphamide (TMMCy) produced the best GVHD-free, relapse-free survival (GRFS) for patients who received an allogeneic HCT when compared to the current standard of care.
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Low-grade aGVHD positively affects OS for patients with early disease stage ALL
April 2019Yeshurun M, et al., Blood Advances – Development of low-grade acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) lowers relapse risk and positively affects overall survival (OS) for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in complete remission one and two). That’s the conclusion of researchers who aimed to better understand the graft-versus-leukemia effect in patients with ALL, and how disease stage and severity of GVHD impacts hematopoietic cell transplant outcomes.
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Adding genomic data to new prognostic model improves predictors of post-HCT outcomes in patients with MDS
December 2018Nazha A, et al. ASH Annual Meeting 2018 - Researchers have developed a new personalized hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) outcomes prediction model for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes that incorporates both genomic and clinical data. The new genomic-clinical model can help physicians better identify patients who may or may not benefit from HCT.
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Study Shows Age Doesn't Affect Survival in HCT for NHL
April 2018Shah NN, et al. Blood Advances – Results from a study of 1,629 older adults show that older age per se should not make a patient ineligible for an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). -
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. -
Study Shows Age Doesn't Affect Survival Outcomes in Patients with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Who Undergo Allogeneic HCT
February 2018Results from a retrospective study presented at the 2018 BMT Tandem Meetings dispute age as a limiting factor to transplant eligibility, showing no differences in 4-year outcomes for patients older or younger than age 65.
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Auto-HCT Improves Survival in Patients with FL and Early Therapy Failure
February 2018Casulo C, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – Patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) experiencing therapy failure within 2 years of frontline chemotherapy had better outcomes with an autologous HCT (auto-HCT) compared to a matched cohort of patients who did not undergo auto-HCT. -
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. -
Lower Relapse and Improved Survival with Mild Acute GVHD after HCT for ALL
December 2017Yeshurun M, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2017 – A large-scale multicenter study of pediatric and adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has confirmed that HCT imparts a potent graft-versus-leukemia effect in ALL with improved survival and lower relapse in patients who experience grade I-II acute GVHD. -
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. -
Auto-HCT Can Be Safe for Myeloma Patients with Renal Insufficiency
November 2017Mahindra A, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant – In this study, researchers analyzed autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) outcomes in 1,492 patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and renal insufficiency (RI). -
Improved Outcomes and Increased Use of HCT in Patients ≥70 Years
August 2017Muffly L, et al. Blood – Overall and progression-free survival after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in patients ≥70 years with hematologic malignancies increased significantly between 2000 and 2013, according to a multi-center study. -
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. -
Five-Year Disease-Free Survival Greater Than 80% with Auto-HCT for Hodgkin and DLBC Lymphoma
April 2017Myers R, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant –In this multi-center study of 1,617 patients who survived for at least two years following autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (auto-HCT) for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) or diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) was >80%. -
MRD is a ‘Powerful Predictor for Survival’ in Childhood ALL
April 2017Bader P, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – Measuring pre- and post-transplant minimal residual disease (MRD) “is a powerful predictor for survival” in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to a multi-center study of 648 patients. -
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). -
Early Auto-HCT Improves Survival in High-Risk FL Patients
April 2017Casulo C, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – Patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) experiencing therapy failure within 2 years of frontline rituximab-based therapy have better outcomes when they undergo autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) early (≤1 year from therapy failure), according to research results presented at the BMT Tandem Meetings. -
Depression Prior to HCT is Prognostic of Lower Survival, Higher Acute GVHD
March 2017El-Jawahri A, et al. Cancer – Pre-transplant depression requiring treatment significantly affected post-allogenic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) outcomes, including lower overall survival (OS) and higher risk of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). -
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. -
Large-Scale Study Shows Greater Than 90% Survival After HCT for Sickle Cell Disease
January 2017Gluckman E, et al. Blood – Researchers analyzing the outcomes of 1,000 patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) who underwent identical sibling hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) between 1986 and 2013 characterized the 5-year survival as “excellent” and concluded that their results “confirm this is an accepted treatment for severe SCD.” -
Adults with ALL Experience No Benefit of Consolidation Chemotherapy Prior to HCT
December 2016Bejanyan N, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2016 – Consolidation chemotherapy does not benefit adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who have a readily available donor and who undergo myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in first complete remission (CR1), according to research presented at ASH. -
Post-HCT Therapies May Improve Outcomes for Patients with High-Risk Myeloma
November 2016Scott EC, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – Therapies using bortezomib and immunomodulatory agents after autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for patients with high-risk (HR) multiple myeloma appears to contribute to improved HCT outcomes, with 3-year overall survival (OS) of 81%. -
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. -
FLT3 Mutation Has No Effect on Survival in HCT for AML
July 2016Deol A, et al. Cancer – This multi-center study of 511 adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) showed that FLT3 mutation status had no effect on non-relapse mortality (NRM), leukemia-free survival (LFS), or overall survival (OS) after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). -
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). -
Haploidentical and Matched Related Donor HCT Result in Comparable Outcomes
June 2016Ghosh N, et al. J Clin Oncol – In this multi-center study of 987 adults with lymphoma undergoing HCT with post-transplant cyclophosphamide, outcomes were comparable between haploidentical (n=180) and matched sibling donors (MSD; n=807). -
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. -
Scoring System Predicts Transplant Outcomes of Patients with MDS
April 2016Shaffer BC, et al. J Clin Oncol – By studying 2,133 patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) undergoing allogeneic transplantation, researchers have developed an improved prognostic scoring system predictive of outcomes that integrates patient- and disease-specific factors beyond the IPSS-R scoring system. -
Prognostic Model Predicts HCT Outcomes in Patients with DLBCL
April 2016Fenske TS, et al. Br J Haematol – Researchers have developed a prognostic model to identify which patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who have failed a prior autologous transplant would best benefit from a subsequent allogeneic transplant. -
Increased Use of and Improved Survival in HCT for Patients ≥70 Years
February 2016Muffly L, et al. BMT Tandem Meetings abstract oral presentation, February 2016 – A study of 1,106 patients ≥70 years undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) between 2000 and 2013 has found that overall survival has improved significantly and use of HCT in this patient cohort has increased over the last decade. -
Pre-HCT Depression Leads to Lower Survival, Higher Risk of Acute GVHD
February 2016El-Jawahri A, et al. BMT Tandem Meetings abstract oral presentation, February 2016 – Results of a large-scale study comparing adults with and without diagnosed depression prior to hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) found that those with pre-HCT depression had significantly lower survival and a higher incidence of grade II-IV acute GVHD. -
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. -
New Analysis Determines HLA Match Rates in Be The Match Registry
January 2016Buck K, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – A new analysis of the Be The Match Registry has determined that 7/8 HLA match rates are >80% for all four of the most frequent patient race/ethnic groups in the United States – White (WH), Hispanic (HIS), Asian/Pacific Islander (AIP), and African American (AFA). -
Patients Age 65 Years and Older with MDS Should Not Be Limited from Undergoing HCT
December 2015Atallah E, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2015 – Patients over age 65 with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) should be considered transplant eligible, according to an oral presentation at the 2015 ASH Annual Meeting. -
Higher Relapse-Free Survival with Myeloablative HCT in Patients with AML and MDS
December 2015Scott BL, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2015 – A phase III randomized trial presented at the ASH Annual Meeting has shown that although reduced-intensity regimens have lower treatment-related mortality (TRM), they also incur higher relapse rates. -
Three-Year Survival of 94% in HCT for Sickle Cell Disease
December 2015Cappelli B, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2015 – Results presented at ASH from a study of 1,000 matched sibling donor transplants in patients with severe sickle cell disease (SCD) have demonstrated a three-year overall survival of 94% and an event-free survival of 90%. -
HCT for Relapsed or Refractory Follicular Lymphoma Leads to 5-Year Survival of 52%
December 2015Sureda A, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2015 – Patients with relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) can experience a 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) of 52%, according to the results of the largest FL study to date of 1,538 allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients whose outcomes were reported to two major transplant registry databases. -
Early HCT for SCD in Children is Preferred Therapy Prior to Onset of SCD Complications
December 2015Satwani P, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2015 – Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) to treat sickle cell disease (SCD) can result in up to 96% survival at two years, according to research results presented at the ASH Annual Meeting. -
Prognostic Model Identifies Relapsed DLBCL Patients Who Can Achieve Durable Progression-Free Survival After Allogeneic HCT
December 2015Fenske TS, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2015 – A new prognostic model identifies a subgroup of adults with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) relapsing after an autologous transplant who can experience long-term progression-free survival following an allogeneic transplant. -
New Scoring System Predictive of HCT Outcomes in Patients with MDS
December 2015Shaffer BC, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2015 – Researchers analyzing transplant outcomes of 2,133 patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) have developed a prognostic scoring system that is more predictive of overall survival when compared to the IPSS and IPSS-R systems. -
Allogeneic HCT Better than Autologous HCT for Progression-Free Survival in Follicular Lymphoma
September 2015Klyuchnikov E, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – In adults with follicular lymphoma (FL), reduced-intensity allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) yields better long-term survival compared to autologous HCT, according to results of a study of 518 rituximab-treated patients with FL transplanted between 2000 and 2012. -
Comparable Survival in Clinical Trial Participants vs. Nonparticipants
August 2015Khera N, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant — Do clinical trial participants have better outcomes than comparable patients who are not treated on a trial? A study by the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN) examined that question by analyzing outcomes of a large-scale, randomized study comparing peripheral blood with bone marrow transplantation from unrelated donors. -
Excellent Outcomes in Outpatient Autologous HCT for Patients with Myeloma or Lymphoma
July 2015Graff TM, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant – Researchers comparing outcomes of 230 patients with myeloma or lymphoma who underwent autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) on an inpatient vs. outpatient basis within a single transplant program have found comparable outcomes in the two cohorts. -
Validation of HCT Comorbidity Scoring: Improving Therapy Selection
July 2015Sorror ML, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant — A large-scale prospective observational study of 8,115 allogeneic and 11,652 autologous transplants has validated the prognostic utility of the hematopoietic cell transplantation-comorbidity index (HCT-CI). -
Haploidentical vs. Matched Unrelated HCT for AML
July 2015Ciurea SO, et al. Blood — This study of 2,174 adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) compared using haploidentical (n=192) and 8/8 HLA-matched unrelated donor (n=1,982) grafts. -
Level of HLA Match Affects Outcomes in Reduced-Intensity HCT
June 2015Verneris MR, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant — This retrospective, large-scale study examined the effect of HLA match on reduced-intensity, unrelated donor transplantation. -
Extramedullary Disease in AML Does Not Affect HCT Outcomes
May 2015Goyal SD, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant — Researchers analyzing outcomes of 9,797 allogeneic transplants in patients with AML - including 814 patients with extramedullary disease (EMD) - have found that EMD does not affect transplant outcomes. -
A Refined Acute GVHD Risk Score Can Predict HCT Outcomes
April 2015MacMillan ML, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – Researchers examining the clinical stage and grade of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in 1,723 patients at the onset of treatment with systemic steroids have developed a new GVHD risk score that predicts response to initial therapy, survival, and transplant-related mortality. -
Biomarkers Predict Severity of GVHD after HCT
January 2015Levine JE, et al. Lancet Haematol – A prognostic score based on the blood plasma concentration of three biomarkers can guide risk-adapted therapy at the onset of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). -
BMT CTN Study to Compare HCT to Hypomethylating Agents to Treat MDS
October 2014Saber W, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant — This report outlines the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN) trial to compare outcomes of reduced-intensity hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in high-risk patients, 50-75 years of age, with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) with outcomes in patients with similar risk receiving novel nontransplant therapies such as hypomethylating agents. -
No Clinical Benefit in Adding Radioimmunotherapy to BEAM Conditioning in Autologous HCT for Relapsed DLBCL
March 2013Vose JM, et al. J Clin Oncol — In patients with relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) undergoing autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), adding radioimmunotherapy to the standard BEAM conditioning regimen provides no clinical benefit, according to results from a randomized phase III clinical trial conducted by the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN). -
Lenalidomide after Autologous HCT for Multiple Myeloma Improves Survival
May 2012McCarthy PL, et al. N Eng J Med — Lenalidomide maintenance therapy following autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) results in a significantly longer time to disease progression and significantly improved overall survival among patients with multiple myeloma.