Multicenter validation of the newly developed Concise Objectifiable Risk Evaluation (CORE) score also confirms its ability to complement the Hematopoietic Cell Comorbidity Index (HCT-CI)

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is a potentially curative treatment option for patients with various hematologic malignancies. Over the past decades, advancements in conditioning regimens, post-transplant care and supportive therapies have extended the availability of allo-HCT to elderly and/or frail patient populations. Reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) and myeloablative conditioning (MAC) have been optimized to improve outcomes in these patients by reducing transplant-related mortality (TRM) while maintaining anti-malignancy effects [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. The success of allo-HCT is dependent on appropriate patient selection, which requires the development of objective risk stratification tools to identify patients at risk of severe complications and mortality. Identifying high-risk patients may allow for improvement of amendable risk factors, individualized treatment approaches such as selecting alternative conditioning regimens or choosing alternative non-transplant treatment approaches [ 4 ].