Small Centers with Big Ventures: Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation Survival Data

Abstract

We present the first-ever autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) outcome data from a secondary-care<br />healthcare facility. Albeit exact details of patient and disease characteristics and co-morbidity scores for all patients<br />are not available, the engraftment and survival data is very similar to those published from large tertiary-care cancer<br />centres, both regionally and internationally. Transplant Related Mortality (TRM) of 3.1% is within the expected range<br />and includes a patient who died of acute drug reaction (ADR) during conditioning chemotherapy, prior to the ASCT.<br />Furthermore, cyclophosphamide mobilization chemotherapy is given in the outpatient setting. This study is important in<br />terms of healthcare resource optimization as well as patients' convenience and highlights that ASCT can be performed<br />in a safe and effective manner with comparable survival rates even at a DGH, provided the centre stays abreast with<br />the recent developments and can offer its patients with standard of care treatment of the era.