Use of younger, unrelated donors for bone marrow transplants in myelodysplastic syndrome is associated with higher disease-free survival and lower relapse rates, a study shows.

Given the limited treatment options and poor prognosis for relapsed disease, the US researchers say allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) from such donors could be preferable to using older sibling donors.

In a retrospective cohort study, they analysed data from 1761 adults (median age 65) with myelodysplastic syndrome who underwent allo-HCT with either an older matched sibling donor (35%) or younger, matched, unrelated donor (65%).

Over a median two years’ follow-up, the rate of disease-free survival was 17% higher among patients who received bone marrow from an unrelated versus related donor.