Stem cell transplantation for T-cell lymphomas in Taiwan

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Oncology
• Transplantation Medicine

Background:

• T-cell lymphomas are aggressive cancers with poor prognoses and undefined treatment guidelines.
• The optimal timing and outcomes of stem cell transplantation (SCT) for T-cell lymphomas remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the outcomes of Taiwanese patients with T-cell lymphomas who underwent SCT.
• To identify factors influencing survival after SCT in this patient population.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 131 Taiwanese patients with T-cell lymphomas who received SCT (autologous or allogeneic) between 2009 and 2014.
• Evaluation of patient characteristics, disease subtypes, disease status at transplantation, and survival rates (progression-free survival [PFS] and overall survival [OS]).

Main Results:

• The 2-year PFS and OS rates were 67.0% and 64.5%, respectively, for 56 patients undergoing upfront SCT.
• Patients achieving complete remission at the time of transplantation (CR1) had the best outcomes.
• Natural killer/T-cell lymphomas exhibited the worst prognosis (2-year OS: 23.5%), while ALCL (72.9%), AITL (75.0%), and PTCL-NOS (51.4%) had varying survival rates.

Conclusions:

• Upfront autologous SCT is a feasible and effective strategy for T-cell lymphoma patients with low predicted international prognostic index (PIT) scores.
• Disease status at the time of transplantation is a critical predictor of outcomes for T-cell lymphoma patients undergoing SCT.