5MJC MDS/AML 13: CIBMTR Analysis of HCT in Older Patients with AML or MDS
CIBMTR Analysis of HCT in Older Patients with AML or MDS Slides from a presentation at ASCO 2009 and transcribed comments from a recent interview with Gail J Roboz, MD (11/20/09) belowPresentation discussed in this issue:McClune B et al. Assessment of allogeneic HCT in older patients with AML and MDS: A CIBMTR analysis. The Best of ASH Special and Plenary Virtual Presentation. ASCO/ASH Symposium 2009. Abstract GAIL J ROBOZ, MD: The study by McClune is very important. Physicians make an assumption that there will be an age effect in transplant. The general reaction to transplant in older patients is one of horror — even reduced-intensity transplant. This is an important paper because it demonstrates the feasibility of transplant in older patients and that once patients get through transplant, their survival at three years is not necessarily age related. Even though this is not a randomized study, historical data suggest that the numbers reported here are higher than expected with current chemotherapy, which argues that perhaps we should be attempting to get more patients to transplant. DR LOVE: What’s the age of the oldest patient you’ve sent for transplant? DR ROBOZ: Seventy. The oldest patient described in this paper was 78 years old. At Cornell we haven’t set an absolute upper age limit for transplant. I would probably be scowled at if I send a patient over 80, but it’s not impossible to consider.
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