The Medical University of South Carolina Blood and Marrow Transplant Program’s outcomes for one-year survival for allogeneic transplant are above the expected survival rate, compared with similar patients transplanted across the U.S.
The Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) recently released its annual report on 172 centers across the country that perform blood and bone marrow transplants. Allogeneic transplants involve transplanting a donor’s stem cells into a patient as a treatment for blood cancers, sickle cell disease, bone marrow failure syndromes and more.
CIBMTR calculates each BMT program’s expected one-year survival rate based on that program’s patients, taking into account a variety of factors, including age, co-existing diseases, donor type, disease stage and more. Centers are then rated as underperforming, performing as predicted or overperforming.
MUSC was one of only 12 out of 172 centers across the U.S. that performed better than expected during the evaluation years of 2020 through 2022.
Michelle Hudspeth, M.D., director of Adult and Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, noted that this evaluation period included the COVID pandemic, which made the center’s work “exponentially harder.”
“Imagine trying to navigate a system in which you need to get stem cells from throughout the world, when travel is disrupted, and patients have a very tight timeline of remission and needing to start their transplant,” she said. BMT patients’ immune systems are wiped clean so that their bodies will accept the transplant, but they are vulnerable to the slightest infection for months to years afterward.
“Not only were we trying to access this web of care to take a patient to transplant, but we also needed to support them and keep them healthy in a time period that we’re completely wiping out their immune system, and so it really took intention and focus.”
The MUSC program is also one of the few combined adult/pediatric programs. The adult program, under the umbrella of MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, primarily treats people with blood cancers while the pediatric program, as part of MUSC Children’s Health, treats children with cancer, sickle cell disease, immunodeficiencies and more.
Raymond N. DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., director of MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, praised the team effort behind these results.
“Dr. Hudspeth and her team work tirelessly to ensure that the patient’s needs are always front and center. Everyone on the BMT team, regardless of their role, is focused on what needs to happen for the patient, and these results showcase their purposeful work.”
Mark Scheurer, M.D., chief of Children’s and Women’s Services at MUSC, agreed.
“The end goal is to always improve patient care and outcomes, and this recognition illustrates Dr. Hudspeth and the BMT care team’s unyielding quest to provide the highest level of care possible to our pediatric and adult patients,” he said.
About MUSC Hollings Cancer Center
MUSC Hollings Cancer Center is South Carolina’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center with the largest academic-based cancer research program in the state. With more than 150 faculty cancer scientists and 20 academic departments, it has an annual research funding portfolio of more than $50 million and sponsors more than 200 clinical trials across the state. Hollings offers state-of-the-art cancer screenings, diagnostic capabilities, therapies and surgical techniques within its multidisciplinary clinics to provide the full range of cancer care. Dedicated to preventing and reducing the cancer burden statewide, the Hollings Office of Community Outreach and Engagement works with community organizations to bring cancer education and prevention information to affected populations. For more information, visit hollingscancercenter.musc.edu
About MUSC Children’s Health
MUSC Children’s Health is changing what’s possible for children and their families by providing the pediatric clinical and research expertise every child deserves. From promoting healthy lifestyles to offering life-saving treatments, MUSC Children’s Health delivers comprehensive and compassionate care to children throughout South Carolina and beyond.
MUSC’s integrated children’s health care system consists of the 250-bed Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital (SJCH) and Pearl Tourville Women’s Pavilion located on the Charleston peninsula, which opened in February 2020; the Charles P. Darby Research Institute, where research teams conduct widely published pediatric studies discoveries that change how care is provided; and the R. Keith Summey Medical Pavilion in North Charleston, which offers an ambulatory care and surgery center, specialty care and after-hours clinics. MUSC Children’s Health also offers an expanded depth and breadth of expertise in multiple locations throughout the state, providing primary, urgent and specialty care in person or via telehealth.
To provide the best care for the children of South Carolina now and in the future, Children’s Health puts the needs of patients and their families first. This intentional approach aligns with the emerging national best practice of offering children’s ambulatory and specialty services within local communities and the delivery of more acute care at a major flagship hospital. As a result, families can more easily access the specialized pediatric care they seek. For more information, visit musckids.org.