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The EBMT Paediatric Diseases Working Party and the first ESH–EBMT training course on blood and marrow transplantation in children

  • G Dini1
  • on behalf of the EBMT Paediatric Working Party

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 41, pages S1–S2 (2008)Cite this article

In 1995, during the annual meeting of The European Group for Blood & Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) held in Davos, Switzerland, the issues related to the differences underlying treatment approaches towards adult and paediatric patients were discussed in depth. An outcome of this exchange was the creation by some EBMT Members of the EBMT Paediatric Diseases Working Party (PDsWP), whose overriding mission was to design specific transplantation programmes for patients. The following year, 1996, the Working Party members met in Erice, Italy, for their first meeting.1

During the last few years our Group has grown, and currently 19 European countries and at least three non-European countries participate in its activities. This international profile feeds the background against which most of the actual debate on stem cell transplantation in children takes place. For example, we are now tackling issues related to the current Joint Accreditation Committee-ISCT & EBMT (JACIE) standards for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in patients under 18 years of age. The PDsWP firmly believes that children can only be treated by a specially trained and experienced paediatric HSCT team, and that, to ensure quality and effectiveness of delivered care, a centre must perform at least 10 allo-HSCT procedures per year. Possible exceptions could be reserved for areas or countries that lack dedicated HSCT Units, but that, nonetheless, have active government support for paediatric stem cell transplantation programmes. In addition, the PDsWP recently analysed the risk factors for transplant-related mortality observed in the more than 80 000 patients below 18 years of age given allo-HSCT over the past 30 years included in the EBMT Registry. The aim was to collect hard evidence and reliable data to bear out our claims. We came to the conclusion that children and adolescents have different demands before, during and after stem cell transplantation compared to adults, and that they require special care by experienced staff. Treatment at highly skilled paediatric centres that are actively involved in cooperative studies has been shown to improve survival, which is why authorities should carefully plan transplant activities and concentrate resources on experienced institutions. Competent care for highly specialized procedures, such as HSCT in children, is cost effective only when enough procedures are performed at the same centre. The yearly minimum of 10 allogeneic transplants must be respected.2

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References

  1. Proceedings of the second International Course on Bone Marrow Transplantation in Children. Editor Giorgio Dini. Bone Marrow Transplant 1996; 18 (Suppl 2): 1–185.

  2. Miano M, Labopin M, Hartmann O, Angelucci E, Cornish J, Gluckman E, et al., Paediatric Diseases Working Party of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation trends in children over the last three decades: a survey by the paediatric diseases working party of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant 2007; 39: 89–99.

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Acknowledgements

Support for this publication was kindly provided by the following sponsors: The International School of Paediatric Sciences ‘G. Gaslini’, The European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, The European School of Haematology, Associazione Italiana di Ematologia Oncologia Pediatrica and Gruppo Italiano di Trapianto di Midollo Osseo (GITMO). We also thank Sara Calmanti for editorial assistance.

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  1. Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, IRCCS ‘G. Gaslini’, Genoa, Italy

    G Dini

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on behalf of the EBMT Paediatric Working Party

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Correspondence to G Dini.

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The author declared no financial interest.

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Dini, G., on behalf of the EBMT Paediatric Working Party. The EBMT Paediatric Diseases Working Party and the first ESH–EBMT training course on blood and marrow transplantation in children. Bone Marrow Transplant 41 (Suppl 2), S1–S2 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2008.44

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