2018 Volume 7 Issue 3 Pages 73-81
The number of hematologic malignancy cases in Japan is increasing every year, especially since technique improvements here have pushed up the upper age limit for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Furthermore, recent research from outside Japan has demonstrated improved clinical results for elderly HSCT patients and older age alone isn’t thought to be contraindication to HSCT. In Japan, HSCT annual reports for 2015 revealed steady increase in elderly HSCT patients for 20 years. And data from the annual reports showed that HSCT for patients over 60 years of age is becoming a major indication. Regretfully, we have not yet researched HSCT carefully enough, so many HSCT problems remain for elderly patients. These problems include optimization of indication, conditioning regimens, method of immune-suppression, and analysis of HSCT cost-effectiveness, etc. Japan vitally needs further research on elderly HSCT because we have one of the oldest populations in the advanced nations and Asian countries. Elderly Japanese as well as senior hematologic malignancy patients worldwide will all greatly benefit from our efforts to improve elderly HSCT.
