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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Age alone should not be a barrier to HCT for adults with AML
April 2022Maakaron JE, et al. – Research published in Bone Marrow Transplantation suggests that age alone should not be a deciding factor when determining candidacy for transplant in adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and transplant should be considered a standard of care option for patients of all ages with AML in first complete remission. This study showed that all age groups reached comparable 3-year overall survival, and differences between younger and older groups were better explained by comorbidities and other factors than age.
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Geriatric impairments in cancer patients affect caregiver health, QOL
May 2019Kehoe LA, et al., J Am Geriatr Soc – A study of 541 patients age 70 and older with advanced cancer has shown a significant association between the number of patient geriatric assessment (GA) impairments and poorer emotional health and quality of life (QOL) in caregivers. The researchers conclude that clinicians should address caregiver needs when patients have a high number of GA impairments.
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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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Geriatric assessment and targeted interventions recommended for older patients undergoing allogeneic HCT
February 2019With an increasing number of older patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), researchers studied the incidence and impact of transplant-related geriatric syndromes. The results suggest that older patients may benefit from geriatric assessment and targeted interventions aimed at i
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Event-free survival improved with midostaurin for patients with FLT3-ITD-mutated AML
February 2019The addition of the multi-targeted kinase inhibitor, midostaurin, to chemotherapy followed by allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) significantly improved event-free survival (EFS) for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with FLT 3 internal tandem duplication (ITD). That’s according to the
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Timing of molecular testing may enhance treatment decisions for patients with AML
January 2019For patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the timing of molecular testing can enhance patient management decisions and clinical trials recommendations. Researchers highlighted evidence that supports molecular testing at diagnosis, complete remission and relapse. At diagnosis, gene panel sequencing
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Geriatric assessment helps inform decision making and management for older adults with AML
November 2018Loh KP and Klepin HD. Blood Advances - The presenters of this Blood Advances Talk recommend geriatric assessment for older adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). They reason that adults of the same age can vary based on underlying health status and physiologic reserve, therefore, decision making and management cannot be optimized using strategies based on chronologic age.
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Emerging prognostic factors identify older adults with high-risk AML likely to benefit from HCT
November 2018Veltri L, et al. Bio Blood Marrow Transplant - In a recent study, researchers analyzed hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) outcomes in 185 patients (age >65) with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and found the strongest independent risk factor for overall survival (OS) and relapse was associated with achievement of measurable residual disease negative status prior to HCT. Additional prognostic factors identified in this study could help identify patients most likely to benefit from HCT treatment.
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How I Treat Older Adults with Sickle Cell Disease
October 2018Thein SL and Howard J., Blood Journal – In this installment of the “How I treat…” series, the authors highlight that for patients with sickle cell disease, survival has significantly improved. Consequently, adults face new long-term risks of their disease as well as age-related conditions.
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Using quality of life to inform treatment decisions for older patients with cancer
September 2018A Task Force of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology recommends all health care professionals involved in the care of older patients with cancer should place a greater focus on quality of life (QOL), and treatment decisions should not be made based on chronological age alone. (Scotté F, et al. Annals of Oncology)
Discover additional QOL recommendations and guidance from the task force
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Risk-Adapted Treatment Strategies for Older Patients with AML
July 2018Arellano M, et al. Cancer – In this review, the authors argue that the current treatment algorithm for older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) ─ induction, followed by consolidation (with or without transplantation) versus hospice ─ is no longer sufficient. -
Allogeneic HCT is Feasible for Patients Aged ≥70 Years
June 2018Al Malki MM, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – Patients aged 70 years and older undergoing reduced-intensity allogeneic HCT can achieve 2-year overall survival rates of 68%. -
Frailty Assessments Can Inform Treatment Decisions in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies
March 2018Abel GA, et al. Blood – In this review, the authors outline how hematologists can make better treatment recommendations for their patients by incorporating several easy-to-use frailty assessment tools into their practice. -
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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Measuring Frailty Can Improve Existing Prognostic Tools
December 2017Hegde A, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant – Because frailty is prevalent in many patients pre- and post-transplant and is associated with age-independent adverse transplant outcomes, the authors of this review recommend incorporating a frailty assessment to optimize the predictive ability of existing pre-transplant assessment (PTA) tools across all age groups and particularly in elderly individuals. -
Disease Risk Index is Important Prognostic Factor for Older HCT Patients
September 2017He F, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – A study of 196 patients age 60-75 years with hematologic malignancies undergoing reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has found that the Disease Risk Index (DRI) score is a significant prognostic factor for post-transplant relapse, treatment failure and mortality. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
Comorbidity Scores are Prognostic of Overall Survival in Relapsed/Refractory AML
July 2017Middeke JM, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – Comorbidity evaluations can provide clinically useful prognostic information at the time of diagnosis of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to results of a phase II trial. -
Cytogenetic Risk Prognostic of HCT Outcomes in Older Patients with AML in CR2
May 2017Michelis FV, et al. Cancer – Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a curative treatment option for older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in second complete remission (CR2), particularly for those with favorable or intermediate cytogenetic risk, according to researchers who studied 169 transplants at 78 centers. -
Allogeneic HCT is Feasible for Patients ≥70 Years
April 2017Sorror ML, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – New research presented at the BMT Tandem Meetings shows that patients aged 70 years and older can have comparable hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) outcomes to those of younger patients and that comorbidities and disease risks, not age, should be used to evaluate potential candidates. -
Comparable HCT Survival and Incidence of Toxicity for Patients ≥60 Years
December 2016Shah GL, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2016 – Survival of patients ≥60 years undergoing ex vivo CD34+ selected reduced-intensity hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) was comparable to that of patients <60 years, 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. -
Review: Advances in Allo-HCT Expand Use in Older Patients with NHL
May 2016Fenske TS, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – In this review, the authors present data supporting allogeneic HCT as a therapeutic option for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, and mantle cell lymphoma focusing on patients over age 60. -
Decision-Making Recommendations for Older Adults Considering HCT
April 2016Randall J, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant – This article outlines strategies to help older adults make an informed decision about transplantation, recognizing that older adults will likely have different functional and psychosocial considerations at this stage in life. -
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. -
Review: HCT for Patients with AML in First Complete Remission
January 2016Cornelissen JJ, et al. Blood – In this review, part of a Blood journal special review series on acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the authors note that although the majority of patients AML enter remission upon induction chemotherapy, the risk of relapse is considerable and it varies greatly according to age and genetic subtype. -
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. -
Meta-Analysis: Age Not a Determining Factor in HCT Selection for AML
November 2015Rashidi A, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – A meta-analysis of 749 patients >60 years undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has shown that older age per se should not be the sole criterion against selecting HCT therapy. -
Low Non-Relapse Mortality, GVHD after HCT in Older Patients with AML in First Remission
November 2015Devine SM, et al. J Clin Oncol – A multi-center phase II study of 114 patients aged 60-74 years with AML in first remission has found that reduced-intensity HCT can lead to a low incidence of non-relapse mortality (NRM) and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). -
HCT Yields Best Outcomes in Patients ≥60 Years with AML
October 2015Versluis J, et al. Lancet Haematol – A study analyzing a series of four multi-center trials has shown significantly better 5-year overall survival for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in patients aged 60 years and older with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) when compared with no and other post-remission therapies. -
AML patients ≥70 Achieve 60% Estimated Survival with UCB HCT
October 2015Sandhu KS, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – In this single-center retrospective study of 22 transplant recipients 70 years and older, 10 patients undergoing umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplantation had an estimated 2-year overall survival of 60%. -
Non-Myeloablative Haploidentical HCT in Older Patients
September 2015Kasamon YL, et al. J Clin Oncol – This retrospective, single-center study found that age had no significant effect on survival of 271 patients age 50-75 years undergoing non-myeloablative haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). -
Younger Donor Age Correlates with Higher CD-8 T Cell Counts, Better HCT Outcomes
April 2015Reshef R, et al. Oral presentation BMT Tandem Meetings — New research presented at the BMT Tandem Meetings has shown that younger donor age correlates with higher CD-8 T cell counts, and that more CD-8 T cells lead to significantly better HCT outcomes. -
No Impact of Patient Age on Survival in Reduced-Intensity HCT
March 2015Federmann B, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant — Patient age has no significant impact on survival, according to results of a retrospective study of 151 patients aged ≥60 undergoing reduced-intensity allogeneic HCT with related and unrelated donors between 2000 and 2012. -
HCT Better than Chemotherapy As Post-Remission Therapy for AML Patients Age 40-60
February 2015Cornelissen JJ, et al. Leukemia — In this study comparing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), chemotherapy, and autologous HCT outcomes in 760 patients age 40-60 years with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in CR1, allogeneic HCT had improved 5-year survival compared with chemotherapy: 57% vs. 40%, respectively (p<0.001). -
Review: How I Treat the Older Patient with AML
January 2015Ossenkopple G, et al. Blood – In this installment of the “How I treat” series in Blood, the authors discuss the highly heterogeneous clinical biology of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) among patients and how those variations are relevant for prognosis and treatment choice. -
Reduced-Intensity HCT Significantly Improves Survival in Elderly Patients with AML in CR1
December 2014Versluis J, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2014 — Five-year relapse-free survival was higher in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients aged ≥60 years who underwent reduced-intensity allogeneic transplantation in first remission than in patients who did not undergo transplant, according to research results presented at the 2014 ASH Annual Meeting. -
Younger, Older HCT Recipients Have Comparable QOL
August 2014Hamilton BK, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant — Older transplant recipients experienced comparable quality of life (QOL) when compared with younger recipients, according to a new prospective study of 351 transplant recipients surveyed between 2003 and 2010. -
Geriatric Assessments Can Predict HCT Outcomes in Older Adults
May 2014Muffly LS, et al. Haematologica — A geriatric assessment (GA) tool has independent prognostic utility in allogeneic HCT outcomes in patients aged 50 years and older, according to a study of 203 older adults. -
Encouraging Progression-Free Survival in HCT for Older NHL Patients
April 2014McClune BL, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant - This CIBMTR study analyzed outcomes of 1,248 patients age ≥40 years undergoing reduced-intensity or non-myeloablative hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for aggressive (n=668) or indolent (n=580) non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). -
Geriatric Assessment has Independent Prognostic Utility in Older HCT Recipients
March 2014Muffly L, et al. BMT Tandem Meetings abstract oral presentation, February 2014 - A geriatric assessment (GA) has independent prognostic utility for hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) outcomes in patients aged 50 years and older, according to a study of 203 older adults undergoing GA within one month prior to transplant. -
Unrelated Donor, Cord Blood Grafts Yield Extended Survival in Older AML Patients
February 2014Weisdorf DJ, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – Allogeneic transplantation using either unrelated donor or cord blood grafts “can produce extended and even curative long-term survival” in patients over age 50 with AML in first complete remission, according to a study of 740 transplants reported to CIBMTR and Eurocord.
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Progress Report: Update of BMT CTN State of the Science Symposium
February 2014Ferrara JLM. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – In this 2014 report, the author updates the status of the 11 hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) clinical trials identified as having the highest scientific priority at the 2007 State of the Science Symposium convened by the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN). -
HCT in CR1 Beneficial to Outcomes for Older AML Patients
January 2014Michelis FV, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant - This single-center study examined outcomes of 242 consecutive adults transplanted for AML. -
Risk Factors in HCT for Cytogenetically Normal AML
December 2013Schmid C, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2013 – In a large-scale study of 752 adult patients with cytogenetically normal AML, only two factors in a multivariate analysis were associated with poor overall survival (OS) after allogeneic HCT in first complete remission: patient age 50 years and older and presence of FLT3-ITD. -
Improved HCT Survival over Time for Adolescents and Young Adults
December 2013Wood WA, et al. ASH abstract oral presentation, December 2013 – Survival after HCT has improved significantly over time for adolescents and young adults (age 15-40 years), according to a large-scale, multi-center study of 1,244 myeloablative allogeneic transplants for ALL at U.S. centers over three time periods: 1990-1995, 1996-2001, and 2002-2007. -
Outcomes for HCT in Patients Over Age 70
July 2013Brunner AM, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant - Select older patients can undergo HCT, according to results of a study of 54 consecutive patients >70 years undergoing reduced-intensity transplantation between 2007 and 2012 at Massachusetts General Hospital (n=14) or the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (n=40). -
To Transplant or Not: Clinical Decisions in Elderly Patients with AML
May 2013Ustun C, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant - Although intensive induction chemotherapy can lead to complete remission rates of 40-60% in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), median survival is typically less than 12 months, according to the authors of this review article.