
A recent study spearheaded by the University of Minnesota Medical School lays bare the intricate links between cancer treatment outcomes and the socioeconomic status of cell donors used in hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Traditionally viewed as a groundbreaking remedy for blood cancer patients, HCT, also referred to as bone marrow or stem cell transplant, might carry the weight of socioeconomic disadvantages from donors to recipients.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), underscores a poignant reality: receiving cells from donors at a lower socioeconomic status was correlated with a significant 9.7% drop in overall survival for blood cancer patients. Furthermore, a notable 6.6% increase in transplant-related mortality at three years was observed among recipients of cells from socioeconomically disadvantaged donors, an alarming statistic that transcends the economic standing of the patients themselves.
Lucie Turcotte, an associate professor at the U of M Medical School, pediatric hematologist and oncologist with M Health Fairview, and the director of the Masonic Cancer Center’s Cancer Survivorship Services and Translational Research program, remarked, "Social disadvantage penetrates so deeply that it is actually transplantable into a new host, and its effects persist over time."
The investigators are poised to conduct further research to understand the underlying mechanisms driving these disparities and develop strategies to mitigate the additional risks of socioeconomic disadvantage. "The importance of these findings reach far beyond cancer and bone marrow transplant care," Turcotte told the University of Minnesota's news service.
The National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health furnished financial support for this research. Both the University's Medical School and the Masonic Cancer Center play pivotal roles in medical innovation and cancer care, delivering vital education and leading-edge research aimed at combating the life-threatening principle of cancer.