Science Highlights
Published on September 02, 2025
Allo-HCT in older adults with Ph+ ALL
by Nature
Giebel S, Labopin M, Swoboda R, et al. Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Older Patients with Philadelphia-Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. A Study by the Acute Leukemia Working Party of the EBMT. Bone Marrow Transplantation. 2025; (doi: 10.1038/s41409-025-02667-2).
Despite a lack of long-time evidence demonstrating the value of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) in older adults with Philadelphia-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia, newer data support its use in this context. The retrospective study included 566 patients aged 55-76 years who were in first complete remission when they underwent allo-HCT. At 2-year follow-up, rates of relapse and non-relapse mortality (NRM) were encouraging at 18% and 22.5% respectively. The probability of overall survival (OS) was 71%, the probability of leukemia-free survival (LFS) was 59.5%, and the rate of graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD)-free, relapse-free survival was 50%. Based on multivariate modeling, the only influence on allo-HCT outcomes was total body irradiation (TBI). Pre-transplant TBI conditioning was associated with improved LFS and OS and a lower risk of NRM, although it also correlated with an elevated risk of chronic GVHD and extensive chronic GVHD.
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