Results of largest study of its kind presented at the American Society of Hematology meeting

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (Dec. 8, 2008) - Age alone should not determine whether a patient receives a blood and marrow stem cell transplantation for treatment of acute leukemia and diseases that can lead to the blood cancer, according to a large-scale study from the University of Minnesota's Medical School and Masonic Cancer Center. Researchers found that patients older than 65 fared as well from a transplant as patients in their 40s and 50s.

This study involved information on more than 1,000 patients, making it the largest, retrospective analysis of the role of age on outcomes in patients who received a donor blood and marrow stem cell transplantation for treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). University of Minnesota hematology and blood and marrow stem cell transplant physician-researchers Brian McClune, D.O., and Daniel Weisdorf, M.D., led this study in collaboration with researchers at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. The results were presented today at the 50th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology in San Francisco.

AML and MDS are disproportionately more common in older individuals.  Blood and marrow stem cell transplantation is the best established curative treatment for these diseases, but it is generally not offered to older patients because of concerns about toxicity and poor outcomes.

"The biggest and most surprising finding was that whether the patient was 40 to 54 years old or over 65 years old, the chances of living through the transplant and surviving without the diseases returning were similar," Weisdorf said. "We think this study goes a long way in addressing the safety of donor blood or marrow stem cell transplantation for older patients. It shows that while careful assessment of patients for transplantation is essential, age by itself does not predict differences in outcomes."

The University of Minnesota is an international leader in blood and marrow stem cell transplantation research and treatment. Annually, more than 275 patients undergo blood and marrow stem cell transplantation at the University.

Information about study participants came from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR).  The retrospective analysis included data on 551 MDS patients and 565 AML patients treated between 1995 and 2005. The information was stratified into four age groups (40 to 54, 54 to 59, 60 to 64, and over 65) for comparison. It was analyzed for the number of deaths related to the transplantation treatment, complications after the transplant such as graft-versus-host disease, cure rates, and overall survival.

The conclusions: Outcomes for older adults undergoing blood and marrow stem cell transplantation are not significantly different from the outcomes of younger adults even after adjusting for multiple risk factors; age by itself should not be a limiting factor; and continued participation in clinical trials that could lead to improved treatment outcomes from transplantation should be encouraged.

While blood and marrow stem cell transplantation is the best method available for treatment of blood cancers, it is a rigorous procedure to undergo. About 25 percent of all patients receiving a transplant relapse, and the disease returns. "Testing new methods through clinical trials will allow us to learn how to decrease the rate of relapse and help more patients live cancer-free," Weisdorf said.

The Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota is part of the University's Academic Health Center and designated by the National Cancer Institute as a Comprehensive Cancer Center for cancer research, treatment, and education. For more information, visit www.cancer.umn.edu or call 612-624-2620.