Tandem autologous transplantation
Tandem autologous transplantation (or planned second transplant) means that two autologous transplants are performed usually within six months of each other. It is sometimes referred to as a ‘double transplant’. In many centres tandem stem cell transplant has and continues to be standard of care for high-risk myeloma.
In these settings, generally, an adequate number of stem cells are collected for both transplants prior to the first transplant. Patients are given three to six months to recover from their first HDT and SCT before this is repeated again. The rationale behind tandem transplants is that any residual myeloma cells that may have resisted the first HDT, can be killed following a second transplant.
Further reading
Kaiser et al. (2024) Diagnosis and initial treatment of transplant-eligible high-risk myeloma patients: A British Society for Haematology/UK Myeloma Society Good Practice Paper. BJHaem 205 (3) 833-839.
Gagelmann et al. (2019) Tandem Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation Improves Outcomes in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma with Extramedullary Disease and High-Risk Cytogenetics: A Study from the Chronic Malignancies Working Party of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 25(11):2134-2142.