In July, the Cell Therapy research team activated the phase 2 PREeMPT trial led by Sameem Abedin, MD, Associate Professor of Hematology and Oncology and CTO Medical Director. The investigator-initiated trial is evaluating whether measurable residual disease (MRD) detected before a stem cell transplant can help guide treatment afterward for patients with myeloid malignancies.

Even when a patient is in remission, very small amounts of cancer can remain. Known as MRD, these remaining cancer cells can be detected with sensitive testing and may indicate a greater risk that the cancer will return.

“MRD gives us information we couldn’t see before about who may be at greater risk for relapse,” said Dr. Abedin. “The important question now is whether we can use that information to make better treatment decisions and give more patients the best chance of remaining cancer free after transplant.”

PREeMPT tests that approach by using MRD results to help determine care after transplant. Patients with evidence of residual disease may receive maintenance therapy to reduce their risk of relapse, while those without it may be observed without additional treatment. The goal is to learn whether this approach can help physicians better match post-transplant treatment to an individual patient’s risk.

“Relapse remains the biggest challenge after transplant, and it can be very difficult to treat once it occurs,” Dr. Abedin said. “If we can identify risk earlier and act on it, we have an opportunity to move toward preventing relapse rather than responding to it after it happens.”

The trial reflects a broader shift in cancer care at the MCW Cancer Center: using increasingly sensitive tools to understand each patient’s disease and then translating that information into more precise treatment decisions. By connecting what researchers can detect at the molecular level with decisions made before and after transplant, Cancer Center investigators are working to identify risk sooner, intervene when treatment may have greater impact, and ultimately give more patients the opportunity for lasting remission.

Learn about the PREeMPT trial.