Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation as Additional Treatment Option for Secondary Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (autoHSCT) demonstrates efficacy as an alternative treatment for patients with secondary acute myeloid leukemia (AML) instead of standard allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT), according to a retrospective data analysis published in Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.
For the treatment of secondary AML, alloHSCT and auto-HSCT have been used, however research is limited on real-world comparison between the options. Researchers conducted a retrospective multinational registry analysis.
Among 274 patients diagnosed with secondary AML, 55 patients received autoHSCT and 219 received alloHSCT. After transplant, patient characteristics, diagnoses, and outcomes were analyzed and compared.
Patients who received alloHSCT (44.5%; P = .22) reported better 5-year overall survival (OS) than patients who received autoHSCT (30%; P= .03), but did not reach a statistical difference. Additionally, leukemia-free survival (LFS) was higher among patients who received alloHSCT (39.9%) than patients who received autoHSCT (20.5%). The median follow-up was 32.7 months. Cytogenetic/genetic risk were associated with 5-year outcomes among patients who received alloHSCT.
“As conclusions, we confirmed the role of allo-HSCT as a potential curative option for patients and we report that auto-HSCT in CR [complete remission] can still provide a 5-year LFS of 20% in [secondary] AML patients,” the researchers concluded.
“Finally, our results confirm adverse cytogenetic/genetic risk category as an independent negative factor in sAML patients receiving HSCT,” they added.
Source:
Serrano J, Martínez-Cuadrón D, Gil C, et al. Autologous or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as front-line treatment for adult secondary acute myeloid leukemia patients: the PETHEMA registry experience. Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Published online February 15, 2025. doi: 10.1016/j.jtct.2025.02.011
