Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Clinical significance of minimal residual disease in patients with acute leukaemia undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

In patients with acute leukaemia, the relative risk of relapse influences the choice between chemotherapy and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The demonstration that minimal residual disease (MRD) is the strongest overall prognostic indicator and can identify patients who are unlikely to be cured by standard chemotherapy has added a powerful new factor to consider when making this decision. There is substantial data indicating that the likelihood of relapse after transplant is directly correlated with levels of MRD before transplant. This knowledge can be used to adjust the timing of HSCT, and guide the selection of donor, conditioning regimen, and post-HSCT strategies to maximize the graft-versus-leukaemia effect. Because MRD emerging post-transplant carries a dire prognosis, its detection can trigger withdrawal of immunosuppression, additional cellular and molecular therapies, or preparations for a second HSCT. Although it is not yet clear whether any of these actions will significantly improve outcome, it is likely that they will be most effective for patients with a relatively low tumour burden, who can be identified only through MRD testing. In this article, we review the clinical significance of MRD in the context of autologous and allogeneic HSCT.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

Related Resources

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app