The Transplant Evaluation Rating Scale predicts overall survival after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Abstract

To evaluate the impact of psychosocial risks on post-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) outcomes, we prospectively conducted psychosocial assessment of 556 consecutive allogeneic HSCT patients who received their first allogeneic transplant at our center between 2003 and 2017. The Transplant Evaluation Rating Scale (TERS) score was prospectively assessed by a psychologist before transplantation, and patients were categorized as low, intermediate, or high risk based on their TERS score. Patients in the high-risk TERS group had significantly longer hospital stays during the first 180 days and 1 year post-allogeneic HSCT compared with the low-risk group (16 vs 13 and 21 vs 16 days; P = .05 and .02, respectively). The survival estimates for low-, intermediate-, and high-risk TERS groups at 3 year were as follows: overall survival (OS), 73%, 60%, and 65%; disease-free survival (DFS), 63%, 55%, and 60%; nonrelapse mortality (NRM), 11%, 20%, and 17%; and relapse, 26%, 25%, and 23%, respectively. In a multivariable analysis, intermediate- and high-risk TERS scores predicted for inferior OS, similar DFS, and higher NRM compared with low-risk TERS score. In a subset analysis of patients with low/intermediate risk per Disease Risk Index, multivariable analysis showed that high- and intermediate-risk TERS scores predicted for significantly worse OS, worse DFS, higher NRM, and similar relapse rates compared with low-risk TERS score. Our findings show that psychosocial factors as measured by TERS score are strong predictors of morbidity and mortality after HSCT among patients with low/intermediate disease risk.