Table 3.

Recommendations regarding decision to proceed to a sibling-matched related donor (MRD) or matched-unrelated donor (MUD) allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) as therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients < age 55 years.

Disease indicationMRD transplant recommended?MUD transplant recommended?Comments
*High-risk cytogenetics defined as: t(4:11), t(8:14), complex karyotype (≥ 5 abnormalities), hypodiploidy/near triploidy 
Abbreviations: CR1, first complete remission; CR2, second complete remission; TRM, treatment-related mortality; GVL, graft-versus-leukemia; Ph, Philadelphia chromosome 
CR1 patients < 40 y: Yes No  
Standard-risk 
CR1 patients < 40 y: Yes Yes For high-risk cytogenetics,* increased relapse risk with standard chemotherapy. Unknown if allogeneic HSCT decreases risk. 
High-risk 
CR1 patients ≥ 40 y Possibly, using reduced- intensity conditioning No Allogeneic transplantation decreases relapse risk, but TRM offsets benefit; reduced-intensity conditioning regimens being explored. 
≥ CR2 Yes Yes  
Primary refractory disease Yes Yes  
Ph+ disease Yes Yes Highly potent allogeneic GVL effect in Ph+ disease 
Minimal residual disease positivity after induction in Ph disease patients Yes Possibly Patients with minimal residual disease have increased relapse risk with standard therapy alone. 
   Only Ph+ disease shown to benefit from allogeneic HSCT. 
   Insufficient data on impact of HSCT in others. 
Disease indicationMRD transplant recommended?MUD transplant recommended?Comments
*High-risk cytogenetics defined as: t(4:11), t(8:14), complex karyotype (≥ 5 abnormalities), hypodiploidy/near triploidy 
Abbreviations: CR1, first complete remission; CR2, second complete remission; TRM, treatment-related mortality; GVL, graft-versus-leukemia; Ph, Philadelphia chromosome 
CR1 patients < 40 y: Yes No  
Standard-risk 
CR1 patients < 40 y: Yes Yes For high-risk cytogenetics,* increased relapse risk with standard chemotherapy. Unknown if allogeneic HSCT decreases risk. 
High-risk 
CR1 patients ≥ 40 y Possibly, using reduced- intensity conditioning No Allogeneic transplantation decreases relapse risk, but TRM offsets benefit; reduced-intensity conditioning regimens being explored. 
≥ CR2 Yes Yes  
Primary refractory disease Yes Yes  
Ph+ disease Yes Yes Highly potent allogeneic GVL effect in Ph+ disease 
Minimal residual disease positivity after induction in Ph disease patients Yes Possibly Patients with minimal residual disease have increased relapse risk with standard therapy alone. 
   Only Ph+ disease shown to benefit from allogeneic HSCT. 
   Insufficient data on impact of HSCT in others. 

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