Sharing and caring: The impact of social support on quality of life and health outcomes in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Background: Social support is crucial for successful recovery after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and has the potential to affect patient quality of life (QOL) and health outcomes. However, there are limited data on the relationship between a patient's perception of his or her social support and these outcomes.

Methods: The authors conducted a secondary analysis of 250 autologous and allogeneic HSCT recipients enrolled in 2 supportive care trials at Massachusetts General Hospital from April 2011 through February 2016.

Multimodal psychosocial intervention for family caregivers of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: Caregivers of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) experience an immense caregiving burden before, during, and after HCT.

Methods: We conducted an unblinded, randomized trial of a psychosocial intervention (BMT-CARE) for caregivers of patients undergoing autologous and allogeneic HCT at Massachusetts General Hospital. Caregivers were randomly assigned to BMT-CARE or usual care.

High -mutant allele burden at diagnosis predicts unfavorable outcomes in de novo AML.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with mutated is a newly recognized separate entity in the revised 2016 World Health Organization classification and is associated with a favorable prognosis. Although previous studies have evaluated in a binary fashion, little is known about the significance of its mutant allele burden at diagnosis, nor has the effect of comutations (other than ) been extensively evaluated. We retrospectively used targeted sequencing data from 109 patients with de novo AML with mutated to evaluate the potential significance of variant allele frequency (VAF), comutations, and clinical parameters with regard to patient outcomes.

Combined Targeted Therapy for -Mutant, Treatment-Related Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

A 44-year-old woman with a prior history of myxoid liposarcoma who was previously treated with radiation, chemotherapy, and resection, was admitted with syncope and pancytopenia. She was diagnosed with a high-grade therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome and treated with decitabine. Her disease soon progressed to overt acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Effect of Inpatient Palliative Care During Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplant on Psychological Distress 6 Months After Transplant: Results of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Purpose Inpatient palliative care integrated with transplant care improves patients' quality of life (QOL) and symptom burden during hematopoietic stem-cell transplant (HCT). We assessed patients' mood, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and QOL 6 months post-transplant. Methods We randomly assigned 160 patients with hematologic malignancies who underwent autologous or allogeneic HCT to inpatient palliative care integrated with transplant care (n = 81) or transplant care alone (n = 79).

Effect of Inpatient Palliative Care on Quality of Life 2 Weeks After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: During hospitalization for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT), patients receive high-dose chemotherapy before transplantation and experience significant physical and psychological symptoms and poor quality of life (QOL).

Objective: To assess the effect of inpatient palliative care on patient- and caregiver-reported outcomes during hospitalization for HCT and 3 months after transplantation.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Nonblinded randomized clinical trial among 160 adults with hematologic malignancies undergoing autologous/allogeneic HCT and their caregivers (n = 94).

Quality of life and mood predict posttraumatic stress disorder after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Background: During hospitalization for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT), patients experience a steep deterioration in quality of life (QOL) and mood. To our knowledge, the impact of this deterioration on patients' QOL and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms after HCT is unknown.

Methods: We conducted a prospective longitudinal study of patients hospitalized for HCT.

Difficulties in hematopoietic progenitor cell collection from a patient with TEMPI syndrome and severe iatrogenic iron deficiency.

Background: Collection of hematopoietic progenitor cells by apheresis (HPC-A) requires separation of cells by density. Previous studies highlighted the challenges of HPC-A collection from patients with abnormal red blood cells (RBCs). TEMPI syndrome is a recently described condition defined by teleangiectasias, elevated erythropoietin and erythrocytosis, monoclonal gammopathy, perinephric fluid collections, and intrapulmonary shunting.

Quality of life and mood of patients and family caregivers during hospitalization for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Background: We conducted a study to investigate the impact of hospitalization for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) on the quality of life (QOL) and mood of patients and family caregivers (FC).

Methods: We conducted a longitudinal study of patients who were hospitalized for HCT and their FC. We assessed QOL (using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bone Marrow Transplantation) and mood (using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) at baseline (6 days before HCT), day +1, and day +8 of HCT.

The fetal allograft revisited: does the study of an ancient invertebrate species shed light on the role of natural killer cells at the maternal-fetal interface?

Human pregnancy poses a fundamental immunological problem because the placenta and fetus are genetically different from the host mother. Classical transplantation theory has not provided a plausible solution to this problem. Study of naturally occurring allogeneic chimeras in the colonial marine invertebrate, Botryllus schlosseri, has yielded fresh insight into the primitive development of allorecognition, especially regarding the role of natural killer (NK) cells.