BSH 2022 | Managing post-transplant complications in patients with DLBCL
In this video, Keith Wilson, MBBS, FRCP, FRCPath, Cardiff University, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff, Wales, discusses the management of post-transplant complications in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Dr Wilson first gives an overview of early and late complications, and further explains the potential role of prehabilitation in improving patient recovery post-transplant. Dr Wilson then discusses the psychological distress caused by treatment and the need to continue improving the quality of life of patients following transplantation. This interview took place at the 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the British Society for Haematology (BSH) 2022, in Manchester, UK.
Transcript (edited for clarity)
So we can break it down into early and late. In the early period, it’s the typical side effects of chemotherapy, nausea, vomiting, and that sort of thing. But we have very effective drugs that keep these under control. Then there’s the recovery phase, which can take, I normally tell my patients, anything from six weeks to six months, depending on age, depending on fitness. And we are trying to shorten that in our center by starting a prehabilitation program where we make them fitter before, so we have to do less afterwards...
So we can break it down into early and late. In the early period, it’s the typical side effects of chemotherapy, nausea, vomiting, and that sort of thing. But we have very effective drugs that keep these under control. Then there’s the recovery phase, which can take, I normally tell my patients, anything from six weeks to six months, depending on age, depending on fitness. And we are trying to shorten that in our center by starting a prehabilitation program where we make them fitter before, so we have to do less afterwards. But then we come onto later complications and this can include organ dysfunction, secondary malignancies. And these are things that we can probably do very little about, but we have to monitor and then treat should they arise. Another one that is becoming more recognized is the psychological distress caused by transplantation, and many patients would not return to their pre-morbid level of functioning. Some don’t return to their occupation, and some families are broken as a result of the stress of the treatment. And now that we have people surviving longer and longer, thankfully we are paying more attention to these problems to try and ensure that quality of life post-transplant is not a disappointment.
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