title: Critical review on non-myeloablative stem cell transplantation (NST).
abstract: Allogeneic stem cell transplantation is an established treatment modality for a variety of hematologic malignancies. Unfortunately, it carries a high risk of complications and toxicities related to the intensive preparative regimen which is traditionally used for pre-transplant myeloablation and the graft versus host disease, which may be life threatening. Thus allogeneic stem cell transplantation has been used only for younger patients with a good performance status, excluding many other potential candidates due to advanced age or comorbid conditions. Using reduced intensity preparative regimens for allogeneic stem cell transplantation (non-myeloablative stem cell transplantation (NST)) researchers attempted to overcome these barriers in patients' selection and tried to make hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation a safer procedure. The well-described graft versus malignancy effect would be the most curative element in this treatment. After more than 5 years of cumulative clinical experience, we know that NST is a feasible treatment option for patients with suboptimal performance status and is mostly effective in slow proliferating malignancies, which gives time for a graft versus malignancy effect to take place. Additionally achievement of stable donor cell engraftment with NSTs provides a platform for adoptive immune cell treatments and is promising for extended indications of stem cell transplantation in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Box 423, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anagnostopoulos
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giralt
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D019172:Transplantation Conditioning / Q000379:methods*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000009:adverse effects; D016896:Treatment Outcome