For Immediate Release
December 8, 2007 at 5:30 pm

BUFFALO, NY – Identifying leukemia patients at high-risk for complications from allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can lead to individualized treatment strategies and improved outcomes, according to research to be presented by Theresa E. Hahn, PhD, Department of Medicine at Roswell Park Cancer Institute at the 49^th Annual Meeting & Exposition of the American Society of Hematology, December 8, at 5:30 pm*, in the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA.

Dr. Hahn and Philip McCarthy, Jr., MD, Director of Roswell Park’s HSCT program are co-principal investigators of the HSCT study which was coordinated through the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI.

HSCT can cure leukemia and other hematologic malignancies; however, the therapy commonly results in acute graft-vs-host disease (GvHD) which can cause substantial morbidity and mortality.

The research team analyzed outcomes from 1,960 patients reported to the CIBMTR between 1995 and 2002 by 226 centers worldwide for modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for acute GvHD. Modifiable risk factors for acute GvHD include conditioning regimen, stem cell source (in younger patients) and viral exposure. Non-modifiable risk factors include recipient age, race and gender and underlying diagnosis. Researchers conclude that identifying modifiable factors for acute GvHD may allow for individualized treatment plans thereby improving outcomes.

The CIBMTR is a voluntary organization involving more than 400 transplant centers in 47 countries that have collaborated to share patient data and conduct scientific studies since 1972. The CIBMTR provides a unique resource of data and statistical expertise for studying HSCT. For more information about CIBMTR, visit www.cibmtr.org.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation’s first cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers. Roswell Park has affiliate sites and collaborative programs in New York, Pennsylvania, and in China. For more information, visit RPCI’s website at www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or e-mail askrpci@roswellpark.org.

*Dr. Hahn’s presentation (Abstract 1069) will be part of a Poster Session titled “Clinical Care: Acute and Chronic GVHD, Infectious Complications, and Immune Reconstitution of Transplantation,” December 8, 5:30-7:30 pm.

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