SEATTLE — Feb. 6, 2023 — The Fred Hutch Blood and Marrow Transplant Program has been recognized in an annual data report from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) as exceeding expectations for one-year survival rates in patients who have received allogenic transplants of blood-forming stem cells from healthy donors.
“It is great news that outcomes for patients receiving transplants at Fred Hutch continue to be exceptional,” said Marco Mielcarek, M.D., medical director of adult blood and marrow transplantation at Fred Hutch. “These survival data are particularly notable because they include patients treated during the COVID-19 pandemic. I am grateful for the commitment of our multidisciplinary teams and the resilience of our program for contributing to these encouraging patient outcomes, especially during an unusually challenging time for both our patients and health care teams.”
Of the 175 transplant centers and 25,385 patients included in the analysis, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center’s program is one of the 11 (6.3%) to receive the exceeding expectations designation. The CIBMTR report included data from more than 700 transplants performed at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, now Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, from January 2018 through December 2020 and with follow up until July 2022. The overall survival rate of patients at Fred Hutch was more than 81% at one year after transplant, which was nearly 5% better than what was predicted based on the types of patients transplanted.
Allogenic transplants use stem cells from a tissue-matched donor who may or may not be related to the patient. The healthy donated cells replace cancerous or damaged cells and revive the body’s ability to make new blood cells. The transplants are used to treat, among other diseases, a range of leukemias and lymphomas as well as severe aplastic anemia and sickle cell disease.
In 1990 Fred Hutch’s E. Donnall Thomas, M.D. received a Nobel Prize for leading a team of clinicians and scientists developing bone marrow transplantation. Today, Fred Hutch clinicians and scientists continue leading by discovering ways to make the treatment available for more people and with fewer side effects.
“This latest achievement in patient survival outcomes further builds on our legacy and exemplifies how our dedication to research leads to improved treatments for our patients,” said Dr. Thomas J. Lynch, president and director of Fred Hutch and holder of the Raisbeck Endowed Chair. “Since leading the development of bone marrow transplantation more than 40 years ago, Fred Hutch has stayed at the forefront of the field by making this life-saving treatment safer and accessible to more people.”
According to the annual CIBMTR report, Fred Hutch has consistently performed as expected or exceeding expectations for one-year allogenic survival rates for at least a decade. CIBMTR is an organization dedicated to providing potential stem cell transplant recipients and their families with information about observed and expected survival rates at participating transplant centers.
Media contact:
Fred Hutch media team
media@fredhutch.org
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Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center unites comprehensive care and advanced research to provide the latest cancer treatment options and accelerate discoveries that prevent, treat and defeat cancer and infectious diseases worldwide.
Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is an independent, nonprofit organization and the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington. We have earned a global reputation for our track record of discoveries in cancer, infectious disease and basic research, including important advances in bone marrow transplantation, HIV/AIDS prevention, immunotherapy and COVID-19 vaccines. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services and has network affiliations with hospitals in four states. Fred Hutch also serves as UW Medicine’s cancer program.
Please note that our organization was renamed Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in April 2022, following the merger of long-time partners, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.