Reviewing the Follow-up Care of Pediatric Patients’ Status Post–Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for the Primary Care Pediatrician

Background. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a treatment modality for many oncologic as well as non-oncologic disorders. Although the side effects of different chemotherapy regimens have been well studied by several oncology consortiums, limited data is available regarding the late adverse effects of HSCT. Furthermore, pediatric-focused post-HSCT follow-up guidelines for primary care pediatricians do not exist. Objective: To provide a summary of the most common late adverse effects of HSCT and give the primary care pediatrician guidance and evidence-based information for the screening and management of this patient population. Design: The literature was searched using PubMed using keywords, including pediatric bone marrow transplant, hematopoietic stem cell transplant guidelines, pediatric bone marrow transplant guidelines, and pediatric bone marrow transplant immunizations. The most relevant articles out of the hundreds of results were reviewed. Results: Based on 9 review articles from the Pediatric Clinics of North America and 3 articles from the Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplant Journal as well as their original references, a summary of the most common late adverse effects after HSCT was constructed. Pediatric HSCT patients have a high incidence of late adverse effects, with 93% of survivors having at least 1 late adverse effect after 7 years of follow-up. Conclusion: Late adverse effects after pediatric HSCT are common and require close screening and monitoring, which can be done by the primary care provider along with the oncologist.