Should we Cryopreserve Allogenic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Grafts?

Cryopreservation of allogeneic hematopoietic cells can be an necessary step in the preparation of a graft for transplantation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety of cryopreservation of allogeneic hematopoietic cells and the clinical outcomes of patients who received a cryopreserved transplant.

The study included data from a comparative analysis conducted on a group of 100 patients diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia who received cryopreserved (50 patients) and fresh (50 patients) transplants. Both quantitative and qualitative parameters of the grafts were evaluated, as well as the patients' hematopoietic recovery.

Statistical analysis of the time to engraftment of neutrophils, nucleated cells, and platelets showed no differences between the group of patients who received cryopreserved transplants and those who received fresh transplants. A higher count of CD34+ cells in the graft significantly reduced the time required for patients to reach their reference values of neutrophils, nuclear cells, and platelets (p<0.05).

Cryopreservation of allogenic transplants should be reserved as an option when fresh grafts are not feasible for various reasons.