The Geriatric Syndrome Of Sarcopenia Impacts Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Outcomes In Combination With Multi-Morbidity And Functional Impairment

Older patients with advanced hematologic malignancies are increasingly considered for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). However, survival outcomes, especially non-relapse mortality (NRM) in these patients remain suboptimal due to multi-morbidity and geriatric vulnerabilities. We and others have shown previously that pre-transplant multi-morbidity, and functional limitation and post-HCT geriatric syndromes of delirium and fall significantly impact allo-HCT outcomes. Sarcopenia, an accelerated loss of muscle mass and function, has been increasingly recognized to affect HCT outcomes. However, it remains unknown whether sarcopenia is a simple surrogate of multi-morbidity or functional impairment and whether post-transplant sarcopenia also impacts outcomes.