Selected Articles from This Issue

The limited availability of HLA-matched donors prevents the use of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for some patients with blood cancers. Alternative treatments with HLA-haploidentical donors can circumvent these limitations, but safe and effective approaches are still needed to prevent graft versus host disease (GVHD) and improve relapse rates. Within recent years, preparative regimens of radioimmunotherapy with ¹³¹I-coupled hematological-targeting monoclonal antibodies to deliver high doses of radiation have shown promise in improving patient response. In this phase I/II study, Orozco and colleagues assess the use of an ¹³¹I-conjugated BC8 antibody targeting CD45 (¹³¹I-BC8), combined with fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and low-dose TBI conditioning prior to HLA-haploidentical HCT in adults with high-risk relapsed/refractory acute myeloid or lymphoid leukemia (AML or ALL), or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The authors show that all patients achieved a morphologic remission 28 days after HCT, with only 8% of patients showing minimal residual disease. Probabilities...