Physicians' preferences and perceptions regarding donor selection in allogeneic stem cell transplantation in Korea when a matched domestic donor is not available.
- Author:
Min Kyung SHIN
1
;
Sangjin SHIN
;
Ja Youn LEE
;
Youngil KOH
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; Unrelated donor; Surveys and questionnaires
- MeSH: Anemia, Aplastic; Donor Selection*; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; Humans; Korea*; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Stem Cell Transplantation*; Stem Cells*; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tissue Donors*; Unrelated Donors
- From:Blood Research 2017;52(1):31-36
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: BACKGROUND: A number of alternative donor options exist for patients who fail to find domestic HLA-matched donors for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). We assessed physicians' perspectives on allo-HSCT donor selection when a matched domestic donor is not available. METHODS: We administered a questionnaire survey to 55 hematologists (response rate: 28%) who attended the annual spring conference of the Korean Society of Haematology in 2015. The questionnaire contained four clinical allo-HSCT scenarios and the respondents were asked to choose the most preferred donor among the given options. RESULTS: In all four scenarios, the hematologists preferred a matched international donor over partially mismatched unrelated domestic or haplo-matched family donors. The numbers of hematologists who chose a matched international donor (HLA 8/8) in cases of acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and aplastic anemia were 37 (67.3%), 41 (74.6%), 33 (60.0%), and 36 (65.5%), respectively. The important factors that affected donor selection included “expecting better clinical outcomes (40.5%)” and “lower risk of side effects (23.4%).” The majority of participants (80%) responded that allo-HSCT guidelines for donor selection customized for the Korean setting are necessary. CONCLUSION: Although hematologists still prefer perfectly matched foreign donors when a fully matched domestic allo-HSCT donor is not available, we confirmed that there was variation in their responses. For evidence-based clinical practice, it is necessary to provide further comparative clinical evidence on allo-HSCT from haplo-matched family donors and fully matched unrelated international donors.
