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An international survey to better understand the current incidence, severity, and management of VOD/SOS

Abstract

This international questionnaire survey aimed to explore the current incidence, diagnostic policies, management, and outcomes of veno-occlusive disease/sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (VOD/SOS) among healthcare providers involved in the management of these patients. A questionnaire was e-mailed to practitioners with an interest in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). Of the respondents, 144 of 215 (67.0%) felt that early detection or diagnosis of VOD/SOS was difficult. Regarding diagnostic criteria, 142 (66.1%) already declared using the 2023 EBMT refined criteria. Most respondents (163/215, 75.8%) found these recent refined EBMT criteria useful for diagnosis, and 193 (89.8%) found the severity criteria easy to use. The major risk factors identified for VOD/SOS were a second allo-HCT (41.4%), pre-existing liver disease (54.9%), and prior use of antibody-drug conjugates (49.8%). Preferences for starting VOD/SOS treatment varied, with 61 (28.4%) preferring initiating therapy at a mild stage, and 122 (56.7%) preferring the moderate stage. In summary, this survey provided valuable insight into the challenges and opportunities of the identification and management of VOD/SOS. By improving current knowledge and increasing collaboration among healthcare professionals, early detection, management, and clinical outcomes for patients with this potentially serious complication can also be improved.

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Fig. 1: The unmodifiable VOD/SOS risk factors for adults from the refined EBMT criteria: percentage of participants who consider them important.
Fig. 2: The modifiable VOD/SOS risk factors for adults from the refined EBMT criteria: Percentage of participants who consider them important.

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Data availability

Data sharing is available through the IACH office (info@clinical-hematology.org) and Dr Myriam Labopin (myriam.labopin@upmc.fr).

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Authors and Affiliations

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Contributions

MM and ML conceived and designed the study. All authors collected the data. MM and ML analyzed the data. MM and ML wrote the manuscript. All authors critically revised and approved the final manuscript. MM is the guarantors of the study, had full access to all the data, and took responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marion Larue.

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Competing interests

Ahmed Alaskar: Received honoraria/consultancy fees: Novartis, Abbvie, Janssen, Takeda, Kyowa Kirin, Gilead, Roche, Sanofi. Participated in company sponsored speakers bureau: Janssen, Kyowa Kirin, Sanofi. Michelle Kenyon: Received honoraria/consultancy fees: Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi, Roche, Mallinkrodt, Vertex. Speakers bureau: Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi, Pfizer.

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The IACH steering committee (www.iach.org) approved the conduct of this survey according to standard professional practices.

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Larue, M., Labopin, M., Brissot, E. et al. An international survey to better understand the current incidence, severity, and management of VOD/SOS. Bone Marrow Transplant 60, 28–31 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-024-02434-9

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