A Stem Cell Donor for Every Adult Requiring an Allograft for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia?

Srour and colleagues [1] from a number of predominantly North American centers retrospectively describe the outcomes of myeloablative haploidentical transplantation in 109 patients aged 18 years and older with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The results, after very short-term follow-up, are acceptable and demonstrate that this stem cell source may be a valid option in the absence of other stem cell sources. The patients studied were young (median age, 32 years), nearly two-thirds were beyond first remission (CR1), and nearly all had high-risk features, although their risk status is not clearly delineated.