Acute leukemia: similar outcomes after haploidentical HCT from non-first-degree versus first-degree related donor

There are situations where non-first-degree (NFD) related donors have to be considered as alternatives to first-degree (FD) related donors for haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). The efficacy of these NFD related transplantations remains uncertain. Analysis of adult AML/ALL patients in the EBMT registry undergoing haploidentical HCT in complete remission compared outcomes with NFD versus FD related donors. There were no significant differences between the two groups for acute or chronic GVHD, incidence of relapse, non-relapse mortality, leukemia-free survival, or overall survival. The authors conclude that for haploidentical HCT in patients with acute leukemia, NFD related donors could be equivalent substitutions when FD related donors are not available.