Progress of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in treatment of relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia

The prognosis of relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is poor, and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) remains the only possible curative approach for these patients. Several factors including pre-transplant disease burden, cytogenetics/molecular biology, donor type and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) can affect the efficacy of allo-HSCT. Relapse is the main reason for treatment failure. This review will explore the optimal transplantation time for relapsed/refractory AML patients and risk factors that affect allo-HSCT outcome. Key words: Leukemia, myeloid, acute; Recurrence; Refractory; Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation