Results from a phase 2 clinical trial by researchers at VCU Massey Cancer Center’s Bone Marrow Transplant Program may lead to a reduction in stem cell transplant complications.
Researchers found that after stem cell treatments, lymphocyte recovery falls into three patterns that are significantly associated with survival. Lymphocytes are a form of white blood cells that occur in the lymphatic system. They are an important part of the immune system.
Scientists graphed lymphocyte counts of patients following their stem cell treatment and observed distinct patterns that correlated with transplant outcomes. Lead researcher Dr Amir Toor suggests that the patterns may help physicians pre-empt complications. Dr Toor says: “Our goal is to use this data to develop models that can predict complications from stem cell transplantation”.
The study was published in the journal Biology of Blood & Marrow Transplantation and is an important step forward for predicting stem cell transplant complications. 41 patients took part in the trial, which looked at stem cell transplants using either unrelated or related stem cell donors.
Patients were given low-dose radiation therapy and an immune-modulating drug to help guard against graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) before transplantation. After the patients had received their transplants, researchers noticed that the lymphocytes recovered in a ways that correlated with survival, relapse and GVHD occurrence within the patients.
The three patterns identified were:
- Fast, early lymphoid expansion and a high lymphoid count (67% survival rate, 33% relapse rate, 67% GVHD rate)
- Slow but steady lymphoid expansion with moderate peak (86% survival rate, 29% relapse rate, 43% GVHD rate)
- Extremely slow lymphocyte recovery and a low lymphocyte count (30% survival rate, 90% relapse rate, 10% GVHD rate)
From: Researchers Identify Patients at Risk For Stem Cell Transplant Complications
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