Stem-cell mutations predicted blood cancer relapse after transplant
Relapse was reported in 95.7% of patients with detected stem-cell mutations versus 30.3% without them in an observational cohort after transplantation.
Multicenter
Limit: The study did not measure whether acting on mutation detection prevents relapse
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In people with myelodysplastic neoplasms, a group of blood cancers, researchers conducted a multicenter observational study after transplantation from a donor. They developed DNA sequencing that worked with very small samples to detect mutations in blood-forming stem cells.
Detecting these mutations preceded relapse by a mean of 98 days and predicted relapse. Mutations found only in whole bone marrow did not predict relapse. The researchers also developed methods to measure the balance of donor and recipient stem cells. These measurements improved the ability to identify people who would relapse. Further analyses of individual cells confirmed that the stem-cell population was enriched for cancer cells.
Why it matters
Relapse remains common after the only curative treatment for these blood cancers. The authors said their findings provided a rationale for intervening before relapse.
Caveats
This observational study did not establish that acting on mutation detection would prevent relapse. The preprint has not been peer-reviewed, and the abstract does not report cohort size or follow-up duration.
- Allogeneic transplantation
- Venetoclax + azacitidine
- Human genetics
- Myelodysplastic neoplasms
- Post-transplant relapse
- Humans
The paper
Persistent Malignant Stem Cells Drive Relapse After Transplantation in the Myelodysplastic Neoplasms
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
bioRxiv, Oct 29, 2026, Open access, Preprint, not peer-reviewed
