Allogeneic stem cell transplantation is still a highly curative therapy in adults with philadelphia chromosome–positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

The application of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and novel immunotherapies has improved outcomes in patients with Ph + acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), and the issue of whether there is still a need for stem cell transplantation has become controversial. We performed a retrospective study to explore whether stem cell transplantation still held a place in patients with Ph + ALL if only imatinib and 2nd generation TKIs are available and affordable. A total of 292 patients were included. The median age was 38 years [range 14–64, IQR 28–48]. Patients receiving transplants (n = 216) had better rates of 4-year disease-free survival (DFS, 68