Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the definite treatment for patients with thalassemia major. A busulfan (Bu) and cyclophosphamide (Cy)-based regimen has been the standard myeloablative chemotherapy, but it is associated with higher treatment-related toxicity, particularly in patients classified as high risk by the Pesaro criteria. Treosulfan-based conditioning regimens have been found to be equally effective and less toxic. Consequently, we analyzed the safety and efficacy of treosulfan/thiotepa/fludarabine (treo/thio/flu)-based conditioning regimens for allogeneic HSCT in patients with thalassemia major between February 2010 and September 2012. We compared those results retrospectively with results in patients who underwent previous HSCT with a Bu/Cy/antithymocyte globulin (ATG)-based conditioning regimen. A treo/thio/flu-based conditioning regimen was used in 28 consecutive patients with thalassemia major. The median patient age was 9.7 years (range, 2-18 years), and the mean CD34(+) stem cell dose was 6.18 × 10(6)/kg. Neutrophil and platelet engraftment occurred at a median of 15 days (range, 12-23 days) and 21 days (range, 14-34 days), respectively. Three patients developed veno-occlusive disease, 4 patients developed acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and 2 patients had chronic GVHD. Treatment-related mortality (TRM) was 21.4%. Two patients experienced secondary graft rejection. We compared these results with results in patients who underwent previous HSCT using a Bu/Cy/ATG-based conditioning regimen. Twelve patients were treated with this protocol, at a median age of 7.2 years (range, 2-11 years). One patient had moderate veno-occlusive disease, 2 patients developed acute GVHD, 2 patients had chronic GVHD, and 2 patients experienced graft rejection. There was no TRM in this group. We found no significant differences between the 2 groups (treo/thio/flu vs Bu/Cy/ATG) in terms of the incidence of acute GVHD, chronic GVHD, TRM, and graft failure, although a trend toward higher TRM was seen with the treo/thio/flu regimen.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a definite cure for many hematological diseases. With the increasing indications for HSCT and its relatively low cost in Indian subcontinent, an increasing number of patients are opting for this procedure. We retrospectively analyzed the cost of one hundred sixty two HSCTs done at our center in the last three years. The median cost of autologous transplant was USD, $ 12,500 (range $ 10,331–39,367) and the median cost of allogeneic transplant was $ 17,914 (range $ 10,832–44,701). The cost of HSCT is cheaper here compared to that in developed countries and success rates are nearly equivalent. The major factors contributing to the cost are related to the complications post-transplant mainly infections and graft versus host disease, which are also the reasons for the increased stay in the hospital.

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Extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP) is considered as an immune modulating therapy majorly targeting the T cells of the Immune system. ECP induces an anti-inflammatory condition with tolerogenic responses without inducing a global immunosuppression state which is a typical feature of other therapeutic options such as steroids. Clinical indication of ECP has grown over time since its initial applications. Our review discusses the technical aspects of the concept of photopheresis with the available methods for its clinical applications.

The conditioning regimens used for the allo-HSCT include either myeloablative conditioning (MAC) or reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens based on the age, performance status and co-morbidities. Studies comparing the survival outcomes of RIC and MAC allo-HSCT in AML and MDS patients have reported contradictory results. We therefore retrospectively analyzed our data of AML and MDS patients who received MAC and RIC allo-HSCT at our center and compared the long term outcome of the two conditioning regimens. One hundred twenty six consecutive patients were evaluated, 32 (25.4%) underwent MAC allo-HSCT and 94 (74.6%) underwent RIC allo-HSCT. The most common MAC regimen used was busulfan plus cyclophosphamide and the most common RIC regimen used was fludarabine plus melphalan. The median age was higher in RIC group (44 years, range 4-75 years) compared to MAC group (31 yrs, range 6-51 yrs, p = 0.001). There was no significant difference in terms of overall survival (p = 0.498), relapse-free survival (p = 0.791) and non-relapse mortality (p = 0.366) between the two groups. In multivariate analysis, only chronic graftversus-host disease resulted in decreased risk of relapse and improved overall survival irrespective of the conditioning regimens used.

The impact and clinical spectrum of COVID-19 infection in liver transplant recipients/solid organ transplants are being unveiled during this recent pandemic. The clinical experience of use of current antiviral drugs and immunomodulators are sparse in solid organ transplantation. We present the clinical course of a 49-year-old male recipient who underwent living donor liver transplant for recurrent gastrointestinal bleed and contracted severe COVID-19 pneumonia during the third postoperative week. Herein we report the successful management of severe COVID-19 pneumonia using convalescent plasma therapy and remdesivir. Recipient's clinical deterioration was halted after three consecutive convalescent plasma transfusions with improvement in hypoxia and inflammatory markers (interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein). The use of convalescent plasma therapy along with remdesivir may be an ideal combination in the management of severe COVID-19 pneumonia in solid organ transplant recipients.

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Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the preferred treatment for high-risk and relapsed/refractory hematological malignancies. Moreover, with the improved supportive care and increasing acceptance of haploidentical transplantations as an alternative treatment modality, more patients are opting for HSCT as a definite treatment for hematological malignancies. We report here the real-world data and outcome of HSCT done for hematological malignancies at our transplant center. Five hundred and sixteen patients underwent HSCT from August 2010 to November 2019. The most common indications for allogeneic and autologous HSCT were acute myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma, respectively. The 5-year overall survival and disease-free survival for all transplants were 65% and 33%, respectively. Though outcome of matched sibling donor allogeneic transplant is better than haploidentical donor (HID) transplant, patients having only HID can still be considered for allogeneic HSCT for high-risk diseases. The most common cause of death was infections followed by relapse of the disease.