COVID-19 and the Impact of Cryopreservation on Hematopoietic Cell Grafts

In this episode of The Onco’Zine Brief Peter Hofland talks with Stephen Spellman. Stephen Spellman is Vice President and Senior Scientific Director at Be The Match and the Center for International Blood & Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR). Hofland and Spellman talk about the outcomes of a study published in Blood Advances, the journal of the American Society of Hematology. [1] The article discusses the impact of cryopreservation of hematopoietic cell grafts on overall survival (OS) and other outcomes within 1 year after hematopoietic cell transplantation. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic the National Marrow Donor Program as together with other national and international donor registries mandated the cryopreservation of hematopoietic cell grafts during the first 6 months of the pandemic because of patient and donor safety concerns. The reason was that during the early days of the pandemic, delivery of donor products after patient conditioning could not be guaranteed. This was, in part, caused by logistical complexities including travel bans, flight delays and cancellations, rerouting of couriers – as well as closed border crossings… In addition, donors were at risk of being infected with the SARS CoV-2 Virus, the virus that causes COVID-19, which, in turn, resulted in last-minute cancellations of graft collection. To solve the pandemic-related logistical problems, the authors of the study conclude that cryopreservation should be considered a method to eliminate the potential risks with the use of fresh donor graft products or when fresh grafts are not available.But what was the impact of cryopreservation on patients receiving hematopoietic cell transplantation compared to the effects among patients receiving fresh donor products? Was there a difference in overall survival, disease free survival, or disease recurrence? Was there a risk in Graft vs Host Disease? In this episode of The Onco’Zine Brief Hofland and Spellman talk about this and more.Reference[1] Devine SM, Bo-Subait S, Kuxhausen M, Spellman SR, Bupp C, Ahn KW, Stefanski HE, Auletta JJ, Logan BR, Shaw BE. Clinical impact of cryopreservation of allogeneic hematopoietic cell grafts during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Blood Adv. 2023 Oct 10;7(19):5982-5993. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023009786. PMID: 37036959; PMCID: PMC10580174. [Article][Pubmed]About The Onco'Zine BriefThe Onco’Zine Brief is developed in collaboration with our online journal Onco’Zine, where you can find additional information and the latest news about cancer diagnosis and treatment, and cancer prevention.The Onco'Zine Brief is distributed in the United States via PRX (Public Radio Exchange). In the United Kingdom and Europe, the program is distributed via UK Health Radio (UKHR). And the program can be downloaded via most podcasts and streaming media services, including iTunes, Spotify, TuneIn, and iHeart Radio.For more information about The Onco'Zine Brief or how to sponsor or support this public radio broadcast and podcast, visit to download our Media Kit, visit our Patreon page, or contact the sales team.To sign up for The Onco'Zine Newsletter (open for residents of the United States only), text the word CANCER to 66866.Support for The Onco’Zine Brief comes from the Oncology Directory and from listeners like you. Funding is also provided by Java Original Coffee and RoastMasterz.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-onco-zine-brief--2786156/support.