Long-Term Survivorship after Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: Roadmap for Research and Care

Minoo Battiwalla1, André Tichelli2, Navneet S Majhail3

  • 1Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.

The number of survivors after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is expected to dramatically increase over the next decade. Significant and unique challenges confront survivors for decades after their underlying indication (malignancy or marrow failure) has been cured by HCT. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Late Effects Consensus Conference in June 2016 brought together international experts in the field to plan the next phase of survivorship efforts. Working groups laid out the roadmap for collaborative research and health care delivery. Potentially lethal late effects (cardiac/vascular, subsequent neoplasms, and infectious), patient-centered outcomes, health care delivery, and research methodology are highlighted here. Important recommendations from the NIH Consensus Conference provide fresh perspectives for the future. As HCT evolves into a safer and higher-volume procedure, this marks a time for concerted action to ensure that no survivor is left behind.

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