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The devil is in the T cells: relapsing after haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 51, pages 915–918 (2016)Cite this article

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For several decades, allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has remained an important tool in the management of patients with high-risk hematological malignancies. Reduced intensity conditioning regimens and advances in supportive care have improved the safety and accessibility of HCT and also increased the need for a deep and diverse stem cell donor pool. This demand has highlighted existing disparities in the unrelated donor registry, particularly for ethnic minorities, who face significant challenges in identifying HLA-matched adult donors.1 The acceptance of umbilical cord blood and haploidentical grafts as viable 'alternative' donors has increased the options for these patients and now ensures that a donor can be identified for virtually all patients.

The utilization of haploidentical grafts represents appealing options owing to their ubiquity, low cost and donor availability for future lymphocyte accession compared with umbilical cord blood units. Haploidentical grafts, however, lack the long-term follow-up of traditional stem cell sources resulting in several areas where the optimal management strategy remains unknown. With a growing number of patients receiving HCTs from haploidentical sources in the United States and abroad, advancing the care of these patients represents an area of tremendous interest and clinical necessity.2

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  1. Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation Section, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA

    M Byrne & B N Savani

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Correspondence to B N Savani.

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Byrne, M., Savani, B. The devil is in the T cells: relapsing after haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant 51, 915–918 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2016.106

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