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High frequency of unrecognized indolent hematological disorders among HLA-matched siblings of patients with lymphoproliferative malignancies eligible for allo-SCT

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 42, pages 427–428 (2008)Cite this article

Since 2004, 19 patients with relapsed CLL and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma have been included in a phase II trial of allo-SCT from HLA-matched sibling donors. The donor screening includes all HLA-matched siblings in the sibship with a full-scale search by means of BM morphology, flow cytometry and clonality (Ig and TCR) testing to exclude subclinical malignant hematological diseases.

Transfer of hematological malignancies from donor to patient by an allograft has been reported in the past,6, 7, 8 but has been assumed to be rare. Niederwieser et al.9 reviewed the existing data on transmission of donor illness, including hematological disorders, taking into consideration the age of the donor. It was speculated that screening for occult hematological disease might be more important in older donors. However, routine BM aspiration was not found to be justified for screening related donors. It was recommended when blood tests were abnormal or there was a family history of malignancies.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Torstein Egeland (Rikshospitalet) for his contribution to this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oncology, Cancer Clinic, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway

    A Kolstad

  2. Department of Medicine, Rikshospitalet, Gaustad, Oslo, Norway

    G Tjønnfjord

  3. Department of Haematology, Aker University Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    V Jønsson

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  1. A Kolstad
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  2. G Tjønnfjord
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Correspondence to A Kolstad.

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Kolstad, A., Tjønnfjord, G. & Jønsson, V. High frequency of unrecognized indolent hematological disorders among HLA-matched siblings of patients with lymphoproliferative malignancies eligible for allo-SCT. Bone Marrow Transplant 42, 427–428 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2008.183

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