Partially matched blood stem cells transplant is safe and effective
Important Points
- Newer medicines prevent most serious side effects
Newer medicines prevent most serious side effects
In the past, many patients with blood cancers didn’t get life-saving transplants, because they didn’t have a fully matched donor.
One problem after a partially matched transplant, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), can be very serious. In the past, partially matched donors caused more GVHD than fully matched donors in patients with cancer.
A new approach, using cyclophosphamide, can prevent most GVHD. And now, a clinical trial shows that partially matched peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplant is safe.
About 150 patients volunteered for the trial. Patients had:
- Blood cancer: leukemia, lymphoma, or myelodysplastic syndrome
- Only partially matched donors available
- Transplant with PBSC
- Medicine (cyclophosphamide) after transplant to prevent GVHD
A year after PBSC transplant, about 80% (8 out of 10) patients were alive. This is similar to other studies using fully matched donors. Also, about 10% (1 out of 10) patients had moderate to severe acute or chronic GVHD. This is similar to studies using fully matched donors.
Using a partially matched donor helps more people get transplant. Many patients, especially those from diverse backgrounds, struggle to find a fully matched donor. Partial matching also makes it easier to find a younger donor, which is important because patients tend to do better when donors are younger than 30.
Keep In Mind
Although transplant can cure blood cancers, it also can have serious effects. Ask your doctor about all your treatment options.
Studies are needed to compare partially matched, unrelated donors with half-matched, related donors.
This plain-language summary was written by Jennifer Motl at the Medical College of Wisconsin and reviewed by an author of the full article. ©2025 by CIBMTR, license CC BY-SA 4.0.
Learn More About
Finding a donor at NMDP.org
Clinical trials of mismatched donors at CTsearchsupport.org
More study summaries at CIBMTR.org
Source
Al Malki MM, Bo-Subait S, Logan B, et al. Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide-Based Graft-Versus-Host Disease Prophylaxis After Mismatched Unrelated Donor Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation. Journal of Clinical Oncology. Epub 2025 June 16. PMID: 40523209. doi: 10.1200/jco-25-00856.
Clinical Trial IDs
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04904588 ACCESS Trial
About This Research Summary
CIBMTR® (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research®) thanks study participants. This information is provided on behalf of the Consumer Advocacy Committee of CIBMTR. CIBMTR is a research collaboration between the Medical College of Wisconsin and NMDP.
Learn more at CIBMTR.org.