Distribution of Donor Types and Time to Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Acute Myeloid Leukemia Across Ethnic Groups: A Retrospective Study
Asaf Katz, Sigal Grisariu, Eran Zimran, Aliza Sweed‐Nagler, Anat Sayag, Tali Bdolah‐Abram, Gil Benedek, Polina Stepensky, Batia Avni, Shlomo EliasABSTRACT
Introduction
Identifying suitable donors and optimizing transplant timing are critical in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia. This retrospective study evaluated 124 Israeli adult AML patients (99 Jews, 25 Arabs) who underwent their first allo‐HSCT between 2012 and 2022. We assessed donor types, key transplantation time intervals, overall survival, and the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Method
Overall, 80.7% of patients received fully matched grafts. Donor type distribution differed significantly between ethnic groups ( p = 0.007): Israeli Arabs predominantly received matched related donors (64%) with few matched unrelated donors (8%), whereas Israeli Jews showed a balanced distribution (41.4% each). Despite these differences, there were no significant disparities in time from diagnosis to transplantation (119 vs. 122 days, p = 0.871) or in overall survival. The COVID‐19 pandemic was associated with prolonged time from coordinator referral to transplantation ( p < 0.001) but did not significantly affect overall survival ( p = 0.059).
Conclusion
In conclusion, differences in donor type by ethnicity did not translate into disparities in transplantation timing or overall survival. These findings highlight the resilience of the transplantation process and the importance of evaluating ethnicity within the context of a specific healthcare system.