Hematopoietic cell transplantation and cell therapy activity landscape survey in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; a report from the Saudi Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation (SSBMT)

Category	Detail
Condition	Hematologic malignancies and non-malignant hematologic disorders including Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Leukemia, Hodgkin Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma, and Sickle Cell Disease
Key Mechanisms	Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (HCT) as a curative therapy involving autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplants
Target Population	Adult and pediatric patients with malignant and non-malignant hematologic diseases in Saudi Arabia
Care Setting	Specialized hematology and transplant centers across Central, Western, and Eastern regions of Saudi Arabia

Total of 15,031 first HCT procedures performed in Saudi Arabia since 1984, with 70% allogeneic and 30% autologous transplants.
Eight HCT centers distributed regionally with majority activity in the Central region; increasing transplant rates especially between 2016 and 2022.
High reporting participation to international registries including EBMT (75%) and CIBMTR (37%), with ongoing efforts for accreditation of centers.

Diagnosis of hematologic malignancies and non-malignant disorders should be confirmed prior to HCT consideration.
HLA typing is essential for donor selection, with full HLA match preferred for allogeneic transplants.

Selection of autologous versus allogeneic HCT based on disease type, patient age, and donor availability.
Utilization of updated conditioning regimens and transplant techniques to improve outcomes.
Centers should pursue accreditation (FACT or JACIE) to ensure quality standards.

Participation in national and international registries (EBMT, CIBMTR, SBMTR) for outcome tracking and quality improvement.
Regular follow-up of transplant recipients for complications and long-term outcomes.

Risks associated with allogeneic HCT include graft-versus-host disease and transplant-related mortality.
Monitoring for infectious complications and relapse post-transplant is critical.

Patients with hematologic malignancies and non-malignant hematologic diseases undergoing first HCT in Saudi Arabia

Majority of transplants are allogeneic (70%) with full HLA-matched donors (85%), and increasing transplant rates observed over recent years.

Ensure multidisciplinary team involvement including adult and pediatric hematology consultants.
Maintain comprehensive clinical databases and contribute data to international registries for benchmarking.
Expand HCT capacity regionally to improve access, with focus on accreditation and quality assurance.
Adopt advances in conditioning regimens and supportive care to optimize transplant outcomes.

Clinical Scorecard: Survey of Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and Cell Therapy Practices in Saudi Arabia: Insights from the Saudi Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation (SSBMT)