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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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. -
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.