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Cost saving associated with implementing a stepwise approach to HLA typing of related donors before hematopoietic SCT

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 49, pages 850–851 (2014)Cite this article

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Hematopoietic SCT (HSCT) is an important therapeutic modality for patients with malignant and nonmalignant diseases. The number of HSCTs performed has been steadily rising over the past decades as the procedure becomes more available for more patients. This increase in number of transplants is associated with increased healthcare cost, which is not insignificant. The cost of an allogeneic HSCT for the first year ranges from $96 000 to $204 000.1 Most studies do not factor the cost associated with HLA typing and identifying a donor.2, 3, 4 HLA typing for HSCT programs is critical for the selection of appropriate recipient–donor pairs. Over the past several years, there have been many improvements in methodologies to enhance the accuracy of HLA typing and help contribute to successful outcomes. New policies and standards have also helped to ensure accuracy throughout the testing process including verification typing on a second sample for all recipients and for the selected donor before transplant.

As more advanced typing methodologies and repeat testing were introduced as standard of practice, our transplant program examined ways to offset these additional costs by streamlining the HLA testing protocols and eliminating unnecessary testing. As family typing accounts for a large part of the HLA typing expense associated with pre-HSCT cost, we implemented a new protocol to reduce the cost associated with related donor HLA typing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, Nashville, TN, USA

    H Frangoul

  2. DCI Laboratories, Nashville, TN, USA

    D Crowe

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  1. H Frangoul
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  2. D Crowe
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Correspondence to H Frangoul.

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Frangoul, H., Crowe, D. Cost saving associated with implementing a stepwise approach to HLA typing of related donors before hematopoietic SCT. Bone Marrow Transplant 49, 850–851 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2014.22

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