Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for children with acute myeloid leukemia in second remission: A report from the Australasian Bone Marrow Transplant Recipient Registry and the Australian and New Zealand Children's Haematology Oncology Group.

Background: Approximately one-third of children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) relapse, requiring re-treatment and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Although achieving second complete remission (CR2) prior to HSCT is desirable, once CR2 is attained, it is unclear if there is any benefit from further chemotherapy prior to HSCT. Moreover, although pre-HSCT minimal residual disease (MRD) has prognostic value in acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the benefit of MRD reduction after achieving CR prior to HSCT is less clear for AML.