Paving the Road for Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in the United Arab Emirates: A Single Centre's Experience.

BACKGROUND

Despite its long-term history, haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) still faces challenges in several countries under development and especially in the private health sector.

OBJECTIVES DESIGN AND

METHODS

In this retrospective analysis, we present our experience and the results of 48 adult patients who underwent HSCT (autologous 37, allogeneic 9) at a private-sector hospital in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The main indications were multiple myeloma and acute myeloid leukaemia in the autologous and allogeneic setting, respectively.

RESULTS

All patients successfully engrafted, and after a median follow-up of 6 (range: 1-11) months, 42 patients are alive (36 autografted and 6 allografted). The 1-year overall survival rates were 97% and 62% for autografted and allografted patients, respectively, while 4 patients died within 100 days post-transplant from treatment-related causes (1 patient from the autografted group and 3 patients from the allografted group).

CONCLUSION

Our data confirm that HSCT is a feasible, safe, and effective treatment approach, offering high success rates to UAE patients with haematological malignant diseases.