Study Summaries

Acute leukemia includes acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). AML is the most common type of acute leukemia. Nearly 15,000 new cases are found in the United States each year. AML can affect people of any age, but is most common in adults. There are about 6,000 new cases of ALL in the United States each year. It can affect people of any age, but is the most common type of leukemia in children under 15. 

The types of cancers that affect children and teens are often different than the types that affect adults. Children and teens also respond to treatments differently than adults. Some cancers that affect children include leukemia, neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, and lymphoma.

Chronic leukemia includes chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). CLL is primarily an adult disease. It is very rare in children and young adults. About 15,000 people are diagnosed each year in the United States. CML is a relatively common form of leukemia. It affects more than 20,000 people in the United States. There are 6,000 new cases each year. Most cases of CML appear in adults. MDS is uncommon before age 50, and the risk increases as a person gets older. It is most commonly diagnosed in people in their 70s. About 19,000 people are diagnosed with MDS in the United States each year.

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a common (sometimes serious) side effect of an allogeneic transplant. GVHD happens when cells from the donor (the graft) see the patient’s cells (the host) as different and attack them. GVHD can occur along a spectrum that includes acute or chronic GVHD.

Lymphoma includes Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). About 9,000 people are diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in the United States each year. It can occur in both children and adults. But it is more common among young adults and older adults. About 69,000 people are diagnosed with NHL in the United States each year. Most of these people are older than 60.

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells. Plasma cells are a part of the immune system. More than 22,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with multiple myeloma each year. Most people who have the disease are age 65 or older.

Transplant is also used to treat other diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and sickle cell disease. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease, that attacks the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). More than 2.3 million people are affected by MS worldwide. Most are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50. Women get MS more often than men. Sickle cell disease is an inherited disease of the red blood cells. In the United States, it affects about 70,000-100,000 people. It is most common among people with African or Hispanic ancestry.

Doctors want to make transplant available to everyone who needs it. Research helps doctors know which patients are healthy enough and would benefit from transplant. It also helps doctors know when people don’t have access to transplant and understand why.

Now, doctors can modify a person’s cells to fight cancer. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells treat some types of leukemia and lymphoma. Also, doctors are studying gene therapies for sickle cell disease, beta thalassemia and hemophilia.

Doctors are committed to making stem cell donation as safe as possible. More than 99% of donors experience a full recovery.

Doctors always try to find the best donor for a person who needs transplant. Research helps doctors know which type of person is best: related vs. unrelated, very well matched vs. half matched, older vs. younger. Research also helps doctors know which stem cell source is best: bone marrow vs. peripheral blood vs. cord blood.

HLA matching is used to match patients and donors for transplant. Usually a very close match is best. But sometimes a half-matched transplant is best. Research helps doctors know which match is best.

A transplant can have a long-term impact on a person’s health and wellbeing. Late effects are health problems that can happen months or years after treatment. For example, treatment can affect fertility, physical and emotional health, and risk of other cancers.

Transplant affects more than a person’s physical health. It affects emotional health, ability to work, and finances. Transplant also affects more than the patient. It affects the entire family.

Transplant treatment and outcomes change over time as doctors learn more about what works best.