Prognosis of patients relapsing after stem cell transplantation (SCT) is poor if no further treatment is given. A second SCT is a limited option in these high-risk patients. We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of second SCT in acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia after a first SCT. Twenty-five of 30 patients received second allogeneic SCT. Variables related to survival were disease status before second allogeneic SCT and time interval between transplants more than 1 year (P<.01 and P<.02 in multivariate analysis). Treatment-related mortality was 33% with no impact of the conditioning regimen on overall survival. Second allogeneic SCT in selected patients may be an option in this group with a poor outcome.
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