title: Minimal residual disease prior to stem cell transplant for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
abstract: Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is a highly effective therapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Concerns about unnecessary toxicity and expense mean that SCT is currently largely reserved for children who cannot be cured with chemotherapy. Not surprisingly, many such children also fail SCT. Retrospective studies have shown that a single analysis of minimal residual disease (MRD) pre-SCT identified those at highest risk of relapse. It is now appropriate to call for the universal incorporation of standardized MRD testing into SCT protocols as the next step to maximize the clinical impact of this technology in ALL.
authors.affiliation: Royal Bristol Hospital for Sick Children, Bristol, UK, UniversitätsKinderklinik, Tübingen, Germany. nick.goulden@ubht.swest.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Goulden
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bader
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Van Der Velden
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moppett
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schilham
authors.forename: Hans O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Masden
authors.forename: Ondrej
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Krejci
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kreyenberg
authors.forename: Arjan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lankester
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Révész
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Klingebiel
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Dongen
mesh_terms: D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002648:Child; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D018579:Patient Selection; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence