When the Cure Becomes the Cause: A Rare Case of Cancer from Donor Cells

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Mar 25, 2025

A young woman triumphs over leukemia, only to be confronted with another blood cancer stemming from her bone marrow transplant. This rare case raises crucial questions about the long-term risks of donor cells and the importance of rigorous donor screening. Experts discuss the complexity of hematopoietic stem cell transplants and the unexpected emergence of donor cell–derived hematologic neoplasms. The conversation sheds light on the delicate balance between life-saving treatments and potential long-term complications.

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ANECDOTE

Donor-Derived Cancer Case

A 12-year-old girl, diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, received a bone marrow transplant and lived cancer-free for almost a decade.
At 23, she developed a new blood cancer originating from the donor's cells, ultimately leading to her death.

INSIGHT

DCHN Origins

Donor cell-derived hematologic neoplasm (DCHN) can arise from undetected mutations in donor cells, damage to the patient's bone marrow, or stress on transplanted cells.
Immunosuppressive therapies used to prevent transplant rejection might also contribute to its development.

ADVICE

Improving Transplant Safety

Re-examine donor cell screening and selection processes due to the risk of donor-derived cancers.
Implement better screening protocols and long-term patient monitoring, especially with the increasing prevalence of stem cell transplants.

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A young woman beat leukemia; however, nine years later, she faced a different blood cancer. This rare twist, reported recently in Oncotarget, reveals an unexpected risk of bone marrow transplants and opens new questions about long-term outcomes and donor screening. Bone Marrow Transplant Bone marrow transplants, also known as hematopoietic stem cell transplants, are often lifesaving for patients with blood cancers like leukemia. These transplants replace a patient’s damaged bone marrow with healthy cells from a donor, giving the body a fresh start. While this treatment can be remarkably effective, it comes with complex risks. Relapse of the original cancer is the most feared outcome. But in very rare cases, a different threat emerges; a cancer formed from the donor’s cells. This condition, called donor cell–derived hematologic neoplasm (DCHN), occurs in less than 1% of cases, and it can emerge years after a transplant. The Case Report Dr. Aleksandra Mroczkowska-Bękarciak and Dr. Tomasz Wróbel from Wroclaw Medical University in Poland recently published a new DCHN case report, titled “A case report of donor cell–derived hematologic neoplasms 9 years after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation,” in Volume 16 of Oncotarget. Full blog - https://www.oncotarget.org/2025/03/26/when-the-cure-becomes-the-cause-a-rare-case-of-cancer-from-donor-cells/ Paper DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28686 Correspondence to - Aleksandra Mroczkowska-Bękarciak - omroczkowska@interia.pl Video short - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2zd0UqWzeE Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://oncotarget.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Foncotarget.28686 Subscribe for free publication alerts from Oncotarget - https://www.oncotarget.com/subscribe/ Keywords - cancer, hematology, donor cell-derived hematologic neoplasms, genetics About Oncotarget Oncotarget (a primarily oncology-focused, peer-reviewed, open access journal) aims to maximize research impact through insightful peer-review; eliminate borders between specialties by linking different fields of oncology, cancer research and biomedical sciences; and foster application of basic and clinical science. Oncotarget is indexed and archived by PubMed/Medline, PubMed Central, Scopus, EMBASE, META (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative) (2018-2022), and Dimensions (Digital Science). To learn more about Oncotarget, please visit https://www.oncotarget.com and connect with us: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Oncotarget/ X - https://twitter.com/oncotarget Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oncotargetjrnl/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OncotargetJournal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oncotarget Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/oncotarget/ Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/user/Oncotarget/ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0gRwT6BqYWJzxzmjPJwtVh MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM