Blood & Cancer

Can receiving all posttransplant care at home benefit patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT)? Researchers are conducting phase 2 trials to find out. Anthony D. Sung, MD, of Duke University School of Medicine, described this research to host David H. Henry, MD. Dr. Sung outlined the process of receiving post-HSCT care at home and discussed Duke's clinical trials assessing the impact of home care on costs, quality of life, the microbiome, and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Dr. Sung also discussed another Duke trial investigating whether a probiotic can prevent COVID-19. Post-HSCT care at home: How it works Cell collection (if applicable), conditioning, and HSCT all take place in the outpatient setting. From day 1 after transplant onward, the patient receives all care at home. A nurse practitioner or physician assistant visits the patient every morning to draw labs, which are run at the hospital. A nurse visits every afternoon to give the patient supportive care. Patients are given the