Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is a well-established curative treatment for various malignant hematological diseases. However, its clinical success is substantially limited by major complications including graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD) and relapse of the underlying disease. Although these complications are known to lead to significant morbidity and mortality, standardized pathways for risk stratification of patients undergoing allo-HSCT are lacking. Recent advances in the development of diagnostic and prognostic tools have allowed the identification of biomarkers in order to predict outcome after allo-HSCT. This review will provide a summary of clinically relevant biomarkers that have been studied to predict the development of acute GVHD, the responsiveness of affected patients to immunosuppressive treatment and the risk of non-relapse mortality. Furthermore, biomarkers associated with increased risk of relapse and subsequent mortality will be discussed.
Keywords: GVHD; biomarker; immune cells; minimal residual disease; relapse; steroid-refractory graft-vs.-host disease.
Copyright © 2020 Chen and Zeiser.