For patients with myelodysplastic neoplasm/syndrome (MDS), allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) represents the only potentially curative treatment, capable of eradicating disease-related mutant hematopoietic cells and establishing normal donor hematopoiesis. Biologic-assignment clinical trials have indicated that in eligible patients, allo-HCT is associated with superior clinical outcomes compared with nontransplant therapy. However, this therapeutic option is only available to a subset of patients, and the outcome is influenced by multiple factors inherent to the patient, the MDS subtype, and the allo-HCT procedure itself. In 2017, the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) published recommendations for allo-HCT in MDS to guide practical decision making. In the contemporary era, genomic profiling has become routine clinical practice in many centers, and the most recent classification systems include MDS entities that are defined by genetic abnormalities. In particular, the molecular International Prognostic Scoring System offers more precise prognostication across all clinical end points and currently represents the standard tool for estimating patient survival in the absence of disease-modifying treatment. Evidence from multiple sources increasingly indicates that allo-HCT should be considered at the time of diagnosis in all eligible patients with MDS. Therefore, genomic profiling for somatic mutations and testing for germ line predisposition variants are integral to determining a patient's eligibility for transplantation. Although all patients with higher-risk MDS are potential candidates for immediate transplantation, a subset of those with lower-risk MDS may also derive benefit from this procedure at an earlier disease stage. Comprehensive recommendations on behalf of an expert international panel for clinical practice and future clinical studies of relevance are presented.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare acquired clonal disorder of hematopoietic stem cells characterized by intravascular hemolysis, bone marrow failure, and a high risk of thrombosis. Although PNH is a benign intravascular hemolytic disease, severe cases may be life-threatening. In recent years, remarkable progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of PNH, particularly in the field of complement inhibitor therapy. To further standardize and improve the diagnosis and treatment level of PNH in China, the Red Blood Cell Disease (Anemia) Group of the Chinese Society of Hematology updated the 2013 PNH Expert Consensus by combining the latest diagnosis and treatment progress of PNH, consulting relevant foreign guidelines/consensus and China's national conditions, and soliciting expert advice and opinions to formulate the Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (2024) .

The advanced practice nurse (APN) has been introduced in France, following the 2016 health law and implementing decrees published in 2018. In this context, the French Society for Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (SFGM-TC) has already issued guidelines regarding the allocation of APNs' new clinical competences and their collaboration with physicians. It is now providing new recommendations on the transversal activities that can be fulfilled by APNs, such as research, leadership, training and teaching. Additionally, the guidelines outline how APNs can cooperate with other professionals in departments of haematology and cellular therapy, including nurses, coordinators and health managers.

First-line treatments of autoimmune systemic diseases (ARD) are based on the use of various types of immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory drugs, either alone or in association, according to standardized reference protocols. Prolonged use of these drugs in severe or refractory ARD is associated with high morbidity and increased mortality. Innovative cell therapies represent a new promising approach for patients with ARDs, with the recent clinical use of: a) mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), based on their immunomodulatory, antifibrotic and pro-angiogenic properties and b) Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CAR) T cell therapies T lymphocytes, where genetically modified expression of a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-T cells). Therapeutic use of MSC or CAR-T cells, remains indications of exception in patients with severe ARDs resistant to prior standard therapies with new prerequisite and organisation of health-care pathways as compared to traditional drugs, not only for the Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) product definition and delivery process, but also for the patient clinical management before and after administration of the CGT product. The aim of this workshop under the auspices of the French Speaking Society of Bone Marrow and Cell transplantation (SFGM-TC) working group on autoimmune diseases (MATHEC) is to describe: a) the prerequisite for French hospitals to set-up the specific health-care pathways for MSC or CART therapy in ARDs patients, in accordance with regulatory and safety needs to perform academic or industry sponsored clinical trials, and b) the care-pathway for ARD patients treated with CGT, highlighting the importance of working in tandem between the ARD and the CAR-T cell specialist all along the indication, procedures and follow-up of ARDs. Patient safety considerations are central to guidance on patient selection to be validated collectively at the multidisciplinary team meeting (MDTM) based on recent (less than 3 months) thorough patient evaluation. MSC and CAR-T procedural aspects and follow-up are then carried out within appropriately experienced and SFGM-TC accredited centres in close collaboration with the ADs specialist.

Management of acquired aplastic anemia (AA) in emerging countries depends on the means of prognostic stratification, treatment and logistics available. During the 13th annual harmonization workshop of the francophone Society of bone marrow transplantation and cellular therapy (SFGM-TC), a designated working group reviewed the literature in order to elaborate unified guidelines for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (Allo-HCT) in this disease. In terms of practice, the conclusions are as follows; The use of anti-tymocyte globuline (ATG) is mainly from rabbit and very little from horse. Access to bone marrow graft, total body irradiation, and the international unrelated donor registries is limited, which justifies the use of peripheral blood stem cells, chemotherapy-based conditioning, and related alternative donor. The workshop recommends matched sibling allo-HCT in all patients aged less than 40 years with acquired severe or very severe AA. For patients aged over than 40 years, or who lack an HLA-identical donor, treatment with the combination of cyclosporin, horse ATG, eltrombopag or cyclosporine, eltrombopag is recommended. If horse ATG and eltrombopag are not available, matched sibling allo-HCT may be indicated as first-line therapy in patients aged between 40-60 years, and good performance status. Although, in patients who have failed immunosuppressive treatments and thrombopoietin agonists, and in the absence of HLA-matched donor, a haplo-identical allo-HCT with modified Baltimore conditioning is recommended.

These guidelines represent a GRADE-method revision of the recommendations produced by the Italian Society of Hemapheresis and Cell Manipulation (SIDEM) and the Italian Transplant Group for Bone Marrow Transplantation, Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Cell Therapy (GITMO) in 2013. Since 2013 several studies have been published that have strengthened the role of ECP in the management of GVHD. Thus, it was deemed appropriate to proceed with an update, with the aim to define uniform criteria for the application of ECP in adult and pediatric patients affected by GVHD throughout the national territory, in line with international guidelines, in maintaining of high standards of safety for patients and quality of the procedures provide. Post-HSCT GvHD therapies other than ECP and ECP therapy of other diseases, such as CTCL, are not covered by these guidelines.The development panel for this guideline includes professionals from various specialties who routinely interact in the management of the patient with GVHD, namely the transfusionist, the adult and pediatric hematologist, and the hospital pharmacist. A hematologist experienced in systematic reviews and GRADE guideline development ccordinated the development process, and an experienced transfusionist coordinated the assignment of tasks and reporting. External reviewers of the guideline included a patient representative.

Allogeneic transplantation of haematopoietic stem cells is still the only curative treatment for certain haematological malignancies. This treatment can be responsible for a number of side-effects, leading to multiple and interdependent physical and psychological deficiencies that affect patients' quality of life and social participation, and can be experienced as a handicap, sometimes for several years after the transplant. For several years now, the integration of post-transplant rehabilitation pathways has been becoming more widespread, and initiatives to provide multidisciplinary care at an increasingly early stage are being studied. The aim of this early management is to improve the patient's overall functional state before, during and after the transplant, in order to limit the impact of the treatment and ensure the quickest possible return to a life that is as satisfying as possible. The international literature and the experiments carried out throughout the French-speaking world describe heterogeneous practices. Based on this literature and experience, the aim of this study is to issue homogenous recommendations for good clinical practice and to identify areas for further research into pre-transplant, per-transplant and post-transplant rehabilitation of haematopoietic stem cells.

Transcranial brain parenchyma sonography (TCS) has been recommended as a tool for the early and differential diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) in German and European clinical guidelines. Still, the brain structures to be examined for the diagnostic questions and the requirements for being a qualified investigator were not specified in detail. These issues have now been addressed in the 2023 update of the clinical guideline on PD by the German Society of Neurology (DGN).

Treatment of pediatric high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML), defined either on molecular or cytogenetic features, relies on bone marrow transplant after cytologic remission. However, relapse remains the first post-transplant cause of mortality. In this 13th session of practice harmonization of the francophone society of bone marrow transplantation and cellular therapy (SFGM-TC), our group worked on recommendations regarding the management of post-transplant relapse in AML pediatric patients based on international literature, national survey and expert opinion. Overall, immunomodulation strategy relying on both measurable residual disease (MRD) and chimerism evaluation should be used for high-risk AML. In very high-risk (VHR) AML with a 5-year overall survival ≤30 %, a post-transplant maintenance should be proposed using either hypomethylating agents, combined with DLI whenever possible, or FLT3 tyrosine kinase inhibitors if this target is present on leukemia cells. In the pre-emptive or early relapse settings (< 6 months post-transplant), treatments combining DLI, Azacytidine and Venetoclax should be considered. Access to phase I/II trails for targeted therapies (menin, IDH or JAK inhibitors) should be discussed in each patient according to the underlying molecular abnormalities of the disease.

Conditioning regimen prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation have an impact on patient fertility through the use of gonadal irradiation and/or bifunctional alkylating agents. Their impact on fertility depends mainly on the dose used and, in women, on age at the time of treatment. All patients should benefit before treatment from a consultation informing them of the potential impact on fertility and of fertility preservation techniques. In the absence of contraindications, the major toxicity of myeloablative conditioning regimen justifies fertility preservation. There are few data concerning fertility after reduced-intensity conditioning. Despite lower theoretical gonadotoxicity, we also recommend fertility preservation, if possible before transplantation. The fertility preservation techniques used depend on the patient's age, pathology and conditioning. In the event of subsequent use of harvested gonadal tissue in the context of acute leukemia or aggressive lymphoma, it is advisable to assess the risk of reintroduction of tumor cells. Finally, it is recommended to assess gonadal function after transplant, especially after reduced conditioning. If there is persistent residual gonadal function, post-treatment fertility preservation should be discuss.

Acquired aplastic anemia (AA) is a rare heterogeneous disorder characterized by pancytopenia and hypoplastic bone marrow. The incidence is 2-3 per million population per year in the Western world, but 3 times higher in East Asia. Survival in severe aplastic anemia (SAA) has improved significantly due to advances in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), immunosuppressive therapy, biologic agents, and supportive care. In SAA, HSCT from a matched sibling donor (MSD) is the first-line treatment. If a MSD is not available, options include immunosuppressive therapy (IST), matched unrelated donor, or haploidentical HSCT. The purpose of this guideline is to provide health care professionals with clear guidance on the diagnosis and management of pediatric patients with AA. A preliminary evidence-based document prepared by a group of pediatric hematologists of the Bone Marrow Failure Study Group of the Italian Association of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology (AIEOP) was discussed, modified and approved during a series of consensus conferences that started online during COVID 19 and continued in the following years, according to procedures previously validated by the AIEOP Board of Directors.

Hirschsprung disease is a congenital intestinal motility disorder characterized by an absence of enteric ganglion cells. Total colonic aganglionosis and near total or total intestinal aganglionosis, defined as absence of ganglion cells in the entire colon and with variable length of small bowel involved, are life-threatening conditions which affect less than 10 % of all patients with Hirschsprung disease. The aim of this project was to develop clinical consensus statements within ERNICA, the European Reference Network for rare congenital digestive diseases, on four major topics: Surgical treatment of total colonic aganglionosis, surgical treatment of total intestinal aganglionosis, management of poor bowel function in total colonic and/or intestinal aganglionosis and long-term management in total colonic and or intestinal aganglionosis.

Haematopoietic stem cell collection from paediatric donors is a common and life-saving practice, as evidenced by the fact that there is a growing annual number of cases of transplants from minor donors among SFGM-TC centers over the last decade. Still, medical use of human tissue from a healthy and underage donor requires proper regulations and medical management. The guidelines below aim at underlining the importance of pondering the legal, medical and ethical aspects of using stem cells from healthy paediatric donors and stress out the importance of obtaining informed consent at the time of assessing HLA compatibility. Combined medical and psychological assessments are required before the donation, as well as one month later and one year later to ensure of the child's physical and mental wellbeing. Bone marrow harvest under general anaesthetics remains the preferred method of collection for children. Peripheral blood stem cell collection should only be considered for children who will not require a central venous access for collection. We aim at offering guidelines centered on the healthy child donating stem cells and his/her wellbeing, and these should be regularly reviewed as medical practices evolve.

Changing practices and the limited use of cord blood units as a source of cells for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSC) led us to reconsider the recommendations established in 2011 and 2012, and to propose an update incorporating recent bibliographic data. If HLA compatibility was until now established at low resolution for HLA-A and B loci, and at high resolution for HLA-DRB1, the recent papers are converging towards an increase in the level of resolution, making way for a compatibility now defined in high resolution for all the considered loci, and the inclusion of the HLA-C locus, in order to establish a level of HLA compatibility on 8 alleles (HLA-A, B, C and DRB1). The CD34+ dose is a determining factor in hematopoietic reconstitution but it is not correlated with the total nucleated cells content. This is why we recommend taking these two data into account when choosing a cord blood unit. The recommendations established by our group are presented as a flow chart taking into account the characteristics of the underlying pathology (malignant or non-malignant), the cell dose and the HLA compatibility criteria, as well as criteria linked to the banks in which units are stored.

Pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency is the most common cause of chronic congenital non-spherocytic haemolytic anaemia worldwide, with an estimated prevalence of one in 100 000 to one in 300 000 people. PK deficiency results in chronic haemolytic anaemia, with wide ranging and serious consequences affecting health, quality of life, and mortality. The goal of the International Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency was to develop evidence-based guidelines for the clinical care of patients with PK deficiency. These clinical guidelines were developed by use of GRADE methodology and the AGREE II framework. Experts were invited after consideration of area of expertise, scholarly contributions in PK deficiency, and country of practice for global representation. The expert panel included 29 expert physicians (including adult and paediatric haematologists and other subspecialists), geneticists, laboratory specialists, nurses, a guidelines methodologist, patients with PK deficiency, and caregivers from ten countries. Five key topic areas were identified, the panel prioritised key questions, and a systematic literature search was done to generate evidence summaries that were used in the development of draft recommendations. The expert panel then met in person to finalise and vote on recommendations according to a structured consensus procedure. Agreement of greater than or equal to 67% among the expert panel was required for inclusion of a recommendation in the final guideline. The expert panel agreed on 31 total recommendations across five key topics: diagnosis and genetics, monitoring and management of chronic complications, standard management of anaemia, targeted and advanced therapies, and special populations. These new guidelines should facilitate best practices and evidence-based PK deficiency care into clinical practice.

The outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is significantly influenced by the degree of HLA histocompatibility between donor and recipient. To provide shared indications for required histocompatibility testing and interpretation before HSCT, the Italian Society for Immunogenetics and Transplantation Biology (Associazione Italiana di Immunogenetica e Biologia dei Trapianti [AIBT]) gathered members and created a working group to discuss and develop recommendations for histocompatibility assessment in HSCT.After a review of the literature and multiple panel discussions, AIBT developed up-to-date recommendations for the resolution levels of HLA typing, histocompatibility definitions of patients and donors, importance of anti-HLA antibodies, and significance of NK alloreactivity, which are reported in this document. These recommendations have been shared with the Italian Group for Bone Marrow Transplantation (Gruppo Italiano per il Trapianto di Midollo Osseo, cellule staminali emopoietiche e terapia cellulare [GITMO]) and the Italian National Center for Transplantation (Centro Nazionale Trapianti [CNT]). Notably, the increased use of HLA-mismatched transplantation (i.e., mismatched unrelated, haploidentical) in recent years has made these indications even more relevant for the standardization and improvement of quality of care.This document represents a useful instrument for health care workers involved in the field of HSCT, enhancing synergy with transplant physicians and enabling greater optimization of the available resources.

The American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) published its guidelines on indications for autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and immune effector cell therapy (IECT) in 2020. Since then, we have witnessed rapid advancements in the field of IECT, resulting in several new chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) products and disease indications being approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). To keep abreast of these practice changes, the ASTCT Committee on Practice Guidelines commissioned a focused update covering CAR-T therapy indications. Here we present updated ASTCT recommendations on indications for CAR-T therapy. Only FDA-approved indications for CAR-T were recommended and categorized as "standard of care," where the indication is well defined and supported by evidence. The ASTCT will continue to periodically review these guidelines and update them as new evidence becomes available.

The French High Authority of Health (HAS) and National Drug Safety (ANSM) agencies recommendations issued in 2014, the French General Direction of Health (DGS) instruction published in November 2021, the French National Blood Bank (EFS) guidelines and the data available in the literature globally define "good transfusion practices" but provide little information about the immuno-hematological and transfusion management of patients who have received an allogeneic hematopoietic stem transplantation (allo-HCT). The aim of this workshop was to harmonize these practices in situations for which there are currently no recommendations. In order to anticipate possible transfusion issues after allo-HCT, we recommend performing, before the transplantation, an extended red blood cell phenotyping of the donor and a detection of HLA alloimmunization in the recipient. We recommend to systematically perform for minor ABO mismatches: a direct antiglobulin test between D8 and D20, and for major ABO mismatches; a titration of anti-A/anti-B antibodies and an erythrocyte chimerism at D100. At one-year post-transplant, we recommend carrying out an erythrocyte chimerism to allow, if necessary, the update of transfusion counselling (RH phenotype, irradiation of packed red blood cells).

Adoptive cellular immunotherapy with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells has emerged as a novel modality for treating relapsed and/or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). With increasing approval of CAR T-cell products and advances in CAR T cell therapy, CAR T cells are expected to be used in a growing number of cases. However, CAR T-cell-associated toxicities can be severe or even fatal, thus compromising the survival benefit from this therapy. Standardizing and studying the clinical management of these toxicities are imperative. In contrast to other hematological malignancies, such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia and multiple myeloma, anti-CD19 CAR T-cell-associated toxicities in B-NHL have several distinctive features, most notably local cytokine-release syndrome (CRS). However, previously published guidelines have provided few specific recommendations for the grading and management of toxicities associated with CAR T-cell treatment for B-NHL. Consequently, we developed this consensus for the prevention, recognition, and management of these toxicities, on the basis of published literature regarding the management of anti-CD19 CAR T-cell-associated toxicities and the clinical experience of multiple Chinese institutions. This consensus refines a grading system and classification of CRS in B-NHL and corresponding measures for CRS management, and delineates comprehensive principles and exploratory recommendations for managing anti-CD19 CAR T-cell-associated toxicities in addition to CRS.

Like the "nurse practitioner" in Anglo-Saxon countries, the French health authority validated on January 2016 the creation of an intermediate grade called advanced practice nurse (APN). They are authorized to carry out an assessment of the person's state of health, through a complete clinical examination. They can also prescribe additional examinations necessary for the monitoring of the pathology, and carry out certain acts for diagnostic and/or therapeutic purposes. Given the specificities of cellular therapy patients, the content of university professional training doesn't seem sufficient to assure an optimal management by the APN of these patients. The Francophone society of bone marrow transplantation and cellular therapy (SFGM-TC) had already published two works regarding what was initially called "the transfer of skills" between doctors and nurses in the follow-up of transplant patients. In the same way, this workshop attempts to address the question of the place of APNs in the management of patients undergoing cellular therapy treatment. Beyond a delegation of tasks as proposed by the cooperation protocols, this workshop produces recommendations to allow an autonomous activity of the IPA in the follow-up of these patients, in close collaboration with the medical team.