Should we be performing more combined hematopoietic stem cell plus solid organ transplants?

Both bone marrow and solid organ transplants (SOTS) can be life saving for a wide variety of diseases. We reviewed the literature and summarized the experiences of dual transplants. In total, 37 patients received a SOT for organ failure after a previous hematopoietic stem cell transplant. In all, 12 subjects received SOTS followed by a bone marrow transplant, while three patients received simultaneous SOTS and bone marrow transplants. Of these 52 patients, 37 were alive at the time of the original report at follow-up times ranging from 3 months to 8 years. A special registry for data collection may prove helpful for obtaining long-term follow-up data and providing outcome information that may improve future patient survival.