Dr. McCarthy on Eligibility Criteria for Allogeneic BMT

Philip L. McCarthy, MD, Director, Blood & Marrow Transplant Program, Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, explains the eligibility criteria he uses to determine patient tolerability to allogeneic bone marrow transplant.

The upper age limit for patients eligible to undergo allogeneic bone marrow transplant has progressed from 50 years to 70 years since the 1980s. Some older patients remain eligible for allogeneic bone marrow transplant because of their overall health and activity, regardless of their age, McCarthy explains.

Patients with underlying kidney, heart or lung disease may not be able to handle the rigors of a transplant. McCarthy says that a 40-year-old with severe cardiac disease will not be an adequate allogeneic transplant candidate whereas a 70-year-old could be, based on comorbidities.