Black and Asian cancer patients are less likely to survive in the five years after a donor stem cell transplant than their white counterparts, according to a study that is the largest of its kind.
The study, published in Lancet Haematology, it looked at 30,000 patients who had had a stem cell transplant on the NHS between 2009 and 2020, of which 19,000 were cancer patients.
The study found that cancer patients from all ethnic minority backgrounds had an increased risk of fatal complications after a donor stem cell transplant compared to their white counterparts. There was a higher risk of death in the 100 days after transplant for black and Asian patients compared to white patients.
Black and Asian patients also had lower survival rates after treatment, with adult patients one and a half times more likely to die within five years of a donor transplant compared to their white counterparts.
The study also found that Asian children had a 32% risk of death within five years of a donor transplant, compared to white children who had a 15% risk.
Stem cell transplants are an important form of potentially life-saving treatment for thousands of patients suffering from blood cancer or a serious blood disease. The transplant works by replacing a patient’s unhealthy blood stem cells with new cells from the patient or a genetically matched donor.
The study is believed to be the largest of its kind to look at the impact of ethnicity on stem cell transplant outcomes in Britain. Previous research has shown that patients from ethnic minorities have only a 37% chance of finding a well-matched stem cell donor, while white patients have a 72% chance.
The researchers added that more research was needed to look at the cause of this ethnic disparity.
Dr. Neema Mayor, director of immunogenetics and research services at Anthony Nolan and lead author of the study, said the research revealed for the first time that “ethnicity influences survival after a stem cell transplant.”
Mayor said: “Despite stem cell transplants having been used as a treatment for blood cancers and blood disorders for more than 50 years, until now little was known about the health inequalities experienced by patients in Britain.
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“While our analysis cannot explain why we see this difference between people of different ethnic groups, we know that there are likely complex genetic, socio-economic and systemic factors that intersect with ethnicity and influence patient outcomes.
“Our research is actively investigating the impact of many of these factors so that we can continue to work to ensure that all patients have equal access to, experience with, and outcomes from a stem cell transplant.”
Prof John Snowden, a haematologist from the British Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, said: “The study has identified significant health inequalities that require further investigation, explanation and ultimately correction so that the same opportunities for life-saving transplant treatments can be offered to all patients, regardless of ethnicity and origin.”