Blood and Marrow Transplantation (BMT) in Acute Leukemia Patients in Cuba: Current Results and Future Opportunities through International Collaboration

In the majority of low-middle-income countries (LMIC) worldwide, cancer care is limited by lack of patients9 access to care and/or unaffordable cost of treatment. In contrast with many other LMIC, Cuban government provides cancer therapy to every citizen. Therefore, any standard treatment for acute leukemias, including BMT, is available for free. However, because of limited financial resources laboratories do not always provide immunophenotypic, cytogenetic or molecular tests to support the diagnosis or the management of leukemias, and only standard chemotherapy protocols are available. In this retrospective study we analyzed the results of BMT in adult acute leukemia patients transplanted at the Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital in Havana (Cuba) from June 1986 to January 2016. A total of 101 consecutive cases (83 acute myeloid leukemia [AML] and 18 acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL]) were transplanted. Eligibility criteria for BMT included: age >16 and 60 years old. Support of training and development of research infrastructures remain of key importance in global health cancer care and global BMT. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.