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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Review: Scientific advances in myelodysplastic syndromes
March 2019Löwenberg B, Blood Journal – A series of review articles in the Blood Journal provides a comprehensive overview of the current landscape of MDS, highlighting advances in biological and clinical science.
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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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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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Prognostic factors identified for MDS patients most likely to benefit from induction chemotherapy after HMA failure
September 2018Researchers identified several prognostic factors for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) who would most benefit from induction chemotherapies as a bridge to allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) after hypomethylating agent (HMA) failure. (Ball B, et al. Blood Advances)
Learn which prognostic factors led to higher response rates and overall survival
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Minimal Residual Disease Identifies Patients Who May Benefit from HCT in First Complete Remission
June 2018Freeman SD, et al. J Clin Oncol – A large-scale, long-term study of adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) has shown that measurable or minimal residual disease (MRD) status can be used for risk stratification to determine which patients may benefit from hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). -
Haploidentical HCT is Safe and Effective for Older Patients with AML/MDS
October 2017Ciurea SO, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – Haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is an appropriate therapy for older adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and can result in a 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) of 74% in selected patients. -
Vorinostat Can Lead to Lower Incidence of Acute GVHD
September 2017Choi SW, et al. Blood – Adding vorinostat to a standard pre-transplant graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis can significantly lower the incidence of acute GVHD, according to results of a prospective, phase II study. -
Older Patients with MDS: Uncovering Barriers to Allogeneic HCT
August 2017Getta BM, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – Only one-third of all patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) referred to an academic center undergo hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), according to a study of 362 patients with MDS treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. -
Patients with MDS Responding to HMAs Have Better HCT Outcomes
July 2017Festuccia M, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – Patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) who undergo hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) while still responding to hypomethylating agents (HMAs) have lower rates of post-HCT relapse, according to a study of 125 patients with MDS. -
Updated Recommendations for Selecting HCT Candidates in Patients with MDS
March 2017de Witte T, et al. Blood –In this report from the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), an international panel of experts present HCT treatment decision recommendations for patients with MDS. -
Updated Guidelines Identify Factors in Selecting HCT Candidates in Patients with MDS
March 2017de Witte T, et al. Blood – In this report from the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), an international panel of experts present treatment guidelines for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). -
Improved HCT Outcomes for Fit Patients with MDS/AML After Standard Conditioning
March 2017Scott BL, et al. J Clin Oncol – This randomized phase III trial of 272 adults with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) found that patients with hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) comorbidity index scores ≤4 and with <5% marrow myeloblasts had better relapse-free survival (RFS) after HCT with myeloablative conditioning (MAC), than after reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC). -
Genetic Alterations Predict HCT Outcomes in Patients with MDS
February 2017Lindsley RC, et al. N Engl J Med – TP53 mutations are the most important prognostic indicator in hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), independent of clinical factors, according to a multi-center study analyzing more than 1,500 transplants. -
Reclassified “Low Risk” Patients with MDS Achieve 58% 3-Year OS after HCT
December 2016Robin M, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant – An analysis of 246 myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients with low or intermediate-1 disease according to the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) found that the majority of these patients (76%) actually had intermediate or higher-risk disease according to the revised IPSS. -
Somatic Mutations Can Improve Transplant Prognostics in MDS
December 2016Rossi M, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2016 – In patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) evolving from MDS (MDS/AML), somatic mutation information can be combined with revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R) risk categorizations to predict post-transplant relapse risk, according to research presented at ASH. -
Careful Selection of Older Patients with MDS Can Improve HCT Outcomes
November 2016Heidenreich S, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – Researchers analyzing 313 patients over age 70 (median age 72 years) whose transplant outcomes were reported to the registry of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) found that careful selection of patients can significantly improve hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) outcomes. -
Somatic Mutations Improve Transplant Prognostics in MDS
November 2016Della Porta MG, et al. J Clin Oncol – In a study of 401 patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) evolving from MDS (MDS/AML), researchers found that ASXL1, RUNX1, and TP53 mutations were independent predictors of higher rates of relapse and lower overall survival (p values <0.001 and p=0.017, respectively) after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in both patients with MDS and MDS/AML. -
Is Cord Blood the Best Alternative Graft Source for Patients with Minimal Residual Disease?
October 2016Milano F, et al. N Engl J Med – A retrospective study of 582 patients with acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes has shown that umbilical cord blood may be a superior graft choice for the approximately 70% of patients who lack an HLA-matched related donor, especially if they are minimal residual disease positive (MRD+). -
Early HCT Warranted in Therapy-Related MDS, AML
June 2016Finke J, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant – In this long-term study of 79 patients with therapy-related myelodysplasia (t-MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML), 10-year disease-free survival (DFS) and OS rates in this high-risk patient cohort were 35% and 38%, respectively. -
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. -
The Role of Pre-Transplant Clonal Burden in Myelodysplastic Syndromes
March 2016Brierley CK, et al. Curr Opin Hematol – In this review, the authors review data on disease burden and transplant outcomes in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and describe which MDS patients may benefit most from allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). -
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. -
Azacitidine Feasible as a Bridge to HCT in Patients with Higher-Risk MDS or Low-Blast Count AML
December 2015Voso MT, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2015 – A multi-center study of 93 patients with higher-risk MDS or low blast count AML demonstrated that induction with azacitidine (AZA) is a feasible “bridge to transplant,” with 52% of patients able to undergo HCT. -
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. -
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 Cyclophosphamide is Effective as Sole GVHD Prophylaxis
December 2014Kanakry CG, et al. Blood — High-dose, post-transplant cyclophosphamide can successfully reduce severe graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after T-cell-replete allogeneic transplantation for AML, ALL, and MDS, using related and unrelated donors. -
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. -
Review: Pre-HCT Cytoreductive Treatment in Patients with MDS
July 2014Yakoub-Agha I, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant — In this review, the authors discuss the clinical decision-making process involved in cytoreductive treatment before HCT with the objective of reducing the incidence of post-transplant relapse in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). -
No Effect of Pre-HCT Cytoreduction in MDS
June 2014Damaj G, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant — Cytoreduction with azacitidine (AZA) prior to non-myeloablative transplantation in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) has no effect on transplant outcomes, according to a multi-center study comparing patients who received AZA (n=40) and patients who did not (n=88). -
Pre-Transplant ATG Protects against GVHD in MDS
April 2014Duléry R, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant - In this study of 242 consecutive patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for progressive myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), outcomes were compared between patients receiving rabbit antithymocyte globulin (ATG; n=93) and those who did not (n=149). -
Pre-Transplant 5-AZA Provides Disease Control in High-Risk MDS
March 2014Nishihori T, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant — In this prospective study of using 5-azacitidine (AZA) as a “bridge to transplant” in 25 adults with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), researchers concluded that pre-transplant AZA “was well tolerated and provided reasonable disease control before allogeneic HCT.” -
IPSS-R and Monosomal Karyotype Predict HCT Outcomes in MDS and AML
March 2014Della Porta MG, et al. Blood — This multi-center study of 519 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or oligoblastic acute myeloid leukemia (<30% marrow blasts) demonstrated that both monosomal karyotype and IPSS-R risk category are important factors predicting outcomes of allogeneic transplantation. -
Blood “How I Treat” Series: Higher-Risk MDS
January 2014Sekeres MA, et al. Blood - The authors of this review recommend that higher-risk eligible MDS patients be offered consultation to discuss allogeneic HCT soon after time of diagnosis, and recommend proceeding to transplantation soon after an optimal donor is located. -
Prior Therapy Does Not Affect Transplant Outcomes in High-Risk MDS
December 2013Oran B, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation – Therapies prior to hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) have no effect on outcomes in patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), according to a single-center study of 291 patients. -
Comparing Transplant vs. Non-Transplant for De Novo MDS by IPSS Score
July 2013Koreth J, et al. J Clin Oncol - A study of 514 patients between 60-70 years old with de novo myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) has shown that for patients with intermediate-2/high International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) scores, a reduced-intensity allogeneic transplant leads to a significantly longer life expectancy (LE) compared to non-transplantation therapies. -
Related, Well-Matched Unrelated HCT Outcomes Comparable in MDS
July 2013Saber W, et al. Blood - Well-matched unrelated donor hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) yields comparable outcomes compared to matched related donor HCT in patients with MDS, according to a study of 701 adult MDS patients transplanted between 2002 and 2006 and reported to CIBMTR (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research).
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Significant Improvement in HCT Survival Over Time
June 2013Hahn T, et al. J Clin Oncol - Survival for patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has significantly improved over time, according to a study of 38,060 patients with hematologic malignancies transplanted between 1994 and 2005 and reported to CIBMTR (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research).
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Comparable Outcomes in AML/MDS Using Related, Unrelated Donors
May 2013Robin M, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant - Matched unrelated or matched sibling donors can lead to comparable transplant survival, according to a single-center research study of 108 patients with AML (n=63) and MDS (n=45). -
Graft-Versus-Tumor Effects in Advanced Malignancies
March 2013Storb R, et al. J Clin Oncol - A study of a minimal-intensity pre-transplant conditioning regimen consisting of low-dose total body irradiation with or without fludarabine has shown that it can induce strong graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effects leading to lasting remissions in 45% to 75% of patients.
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AZA and DLI for Relapsed AML/MDS After HCT
February 2013Schroeder T, et al. Leukemia - A first salvage therapy combining azacitidine (AZA) with donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI) in relapsed transplant recipients has a 30% response rate, according to results of a recent study.