Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a life-saving treatment for patients with high-risk hematological malignancies. Prognostic measures to determine fitness for HCT are needed to inform decision-making and interventions. VO 2peak is obtained by measuring gas exchange during cycle ergometry and has not been studied as a prognostic factor in HCT. Thirty-two autologous and allogeneic HCT patients underwent VO 2peak and 6 Minute Walk (6MW) testing before HCT, and provided weekly symptom and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) assessments before HCT and concluding at Day 100. Twenty-nine patients completed pre-HCT testing. Pre-HCT VO 2peak was positively correlated with pre-HCT 6MW (r ¼ 0.65, Po0.001) and negatively correlated with number of chemotherapy regimens and months of chemotherapy. Patients with lower VO 2peak reported higher symptom burden and inferior HRQOL at baseline and during early post-HCT period. Patients with pre-HCT VO 2peak o16 mL/kg/min had higher risk of mortality post HCT (entire cohort: hazard ratio (HR) 9.1 (1.75-47.0), P ¼ 0.01; allogeneic HCT patients only: HR 6.70 (1.29-34.75), P ¼ 0.02) and more hospitalized days before Day 100 (entire cohort: median 33 vs 19, P ¼ 0.003; allogeneic HCT patients only: median 33 vs 21, P ¼ 0.004). VO 2peak pre-HCT is feasible and might predict symptom severity, HRQOL and mortality. Additional studies are warranted. Keywords: cardiopulmonary fitness; symptoms; health-related quality of life; hematopoietic SCT
INTRODUCTIONFor patients with life-threatening hematological diseases, hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) offers the possibility of extended survival relative to standard conventional treatments. 1 The benefits of HCT are counterbalanced by the risk of treatmentrelated toxicity. Prognostic measures are needed to inform clinician and patient decision-making and to limit treatmentrelated risk. Direct cardiopulmonary fitness assessments such as VO 2peak are now available but have not yet been studied.Myeloablative allogeneic HCT has been associated with a 30-40% risk of treatment-related mortality (TRM). 2 Reduced intensity conditioning HCT is offered to older individuals and patients with comorbid illness, but this technique is still associated with a 20-30% risk of TRM. 3 Autologous HCT in older patients has been associated with a TRM risk exceeding 10%. 4 Subsets of patients after all types of transplants experience late health-related quality of life (HRQOL) deficits and functional impairment; 5 this effect is variable with other subgroups experiencing preserved patient-reported outcomes (PROs), relative to normative values. 6 Investigators and clinicians have attempted to determine who is 'fit' for transplant to inform pre-HCT counseling, selection of suitable HCT candidates and identification of vulnerable HCT recipients at risk for treatment-related complications. 7 Age remains the most commonly used surrogate variable for HCT