Consensus on the monitoring, treatment, and prevention of leukaemia relapse after allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in China: 2024 update

Abstract

The consensus in 2018 from The Chinese Society of Haematology (CSH) on the monitoring, treatment, and prevention of leukaemia relapse after allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) facilitated the standardization of clinical practices in China and progressive integration with the world. To integrate recent developments and further improve the consensus, a panel of experts from the CSH recently updated the following consensus: (1) integrate risk-adapted, measurable residual disease (MRD)-guided strategy on modified donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) and interferon-α into total therapy, which was pioneered and refined by Chinese researchers; (2) provide additional evidence of the superiority of haploidentical HSCT (the dominant donor source in China) to matched HSCT for high-risk populations, especially for pre-HSCT MRD-positive patients; (3) support the rapid progress of techniques for MRD detection, such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) and leukaemia stem cell-based MRD detection; and (4) address the role of new targeted options in transplant settings. In conclusion, the establishment of a “total therapy” strategy represents a great step forward. We hope that the consensus updated by Chinese scholars will include the latest cutting-edge developments and inspire progress in post-HSCT relapse management.