At 76, She Underwent Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation and Remains Stable at Six-Month Follow-Up

Summary: Mrs. Xiao (pseudonym), 76, had been enjoying a quiet retirement when chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) progressed to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), leaving her with increasingly limited treatment options. Her age added another layer of complexity to the possibility of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. After a comprehensive assessment by Dr. Tong Wu, Dr. Yanzhi Song, and the transplant team at Beijing GoBroad Boren Hospital, she underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. After 36 challenging days in the transplant unit, she was able to leave protective isolation. At her six-month follow-up, her laboratory results were stable and her overall condition was continuing to improve.

On December 5, 2025, after 36 days in the transplant unit, 76-year-old Mrs. Xiao (pseudonym) from Xi'an, Shaanxi, was wheeled out of protective isolation by the medical team. Her son, Mr. Li (pseudonym), had been waiting outside for her. Mrs. Xiao had seen her chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) transform into acute myeloid leukemia (AML). With the care of Dr. Tong Wu, Dr. Yanzhi Song, and the transplant team at Beijing GoBroad Boren Hospital, she successfully completed an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant, setting a new age record for transplantation within GoBroad Healthcare Group. On May 10, 2026, six months after transplant, follow-up testing showed stable results and continued recovery. Her son shared the family's experience of navigating this difficult treatment journey with an elderly parent.

Photo taken when she left the transplant unit

A Leukemia Diagnosis in Her Seventies - and an Age Barrier to Transplant

My mother had always kept up with regular health checks. Because she also had underlying conditions such as diabetes, we were especially attentive to her health. In July 2024, routine testing showed several abnormalities in her blood counts, including a white blood cell count above 40,000/μL. A subsequent bone marrow aspiration confirmed chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), with DNMT3A, FLT3, IDH2, and NPM1 mutations. For someone in her seventies who should have been enjoying retirement, the diagnosis came as a profound shock.

My mother soon began treatment at a hospital in Xi'an. She initially received cytoreductive chemotherapy and intermittent azacitidine plus venetoclax, which kept the disease relatively stable for nearly six months. In January 2025, however, her condition worsened sharply, and bone marrow testing showed transformation to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Her doctors adjusted the regimen and added the targeted agent gilteritinib. Her blood counts stabilized for a time, but only for a few months. By June 2025, the disease was progressing again.

As the disease worsened, my mother had to begin chemotherapy, but she reacted very strongly. Her blood counts fell rapidly and she needed daily supportive care, including platelet transfusions, while the chemotherapy itself was not producing the response we had hoped for. When the doctors began considering another chemotherapy adjustment, we hesitated. At her age, we worried that her body could no longer withstand repeated rounds of intensive treatment.

We contacted several hospitals in Xi'an to ask whether hematopoietic stem cell transplantation might still be possible. The answers were almost always the same: "She is too old, the disease is too complicated, and the transplant risk is too high. We would recommend continuing conservative treatment."

When Options Were Running Out, Beijing Offered a New Possibility

Just when we felt we had almost run out of options, one specialist suggested that we take my mother to Beijing for another opinion and recommended three hospitals, including Beijing GoBroad Boren Hospital.

In early August 2025, I took time off work and traveled to Beijing. Over two days, I visited the hospitals and spoke with specialists in detail. At Boren, I met Dr. Yanzhi Song. He carefully reviewed all of my mother's medical records and patiently discussed her condition with me. Most importantly, he addressed the question that had been weighing on me: age alone is not an absolute contraindication to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. What matters is a systematic assessment of the patient's overall condition, including organ function, as well as the wishes of the patient and family. His candid and professional explanation was the first thing that gave me real hope after days of anxious searching. Another important factor was an article I had read about Boren successfully performing transplantation for a 74-year-old patient with AML. That experience strengthened our decision to bring my mother here.

Going Beyond the Usual Age Limits: Working Together for a Second Chance

On August 18, 2025, my mother was admitted to Ward 5 of the transplant department at Beijing GoBroad Boren Hospital. Dr. Tong Wu, Dr. Yanzhi Song, and their team carried out a comprehensive evaluation. Bone marrow testing showed 18.69% abnormal myeloid blasts by flow cytometry, an NPM1 quantitative level of 52.84%, and FLT3-ITD and IDH2 mutations.

My mother had leukemia as well as several chronic conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. The hospital quickly organized a multidisciplinary consultation. After a detailed assessment, the team determined that her overall condition met the requirements for transplantation. After weeks of uncertainty, that conclusion finally gave us some relief.

Because my mother's leukemia burden was still high, the transplant team first designed an individualized chemotherapy regimen to reduce the disease burden and create the best possible conditions for transplant. The treatment was difficult, and she also developed allergic purpura during chemotherapy, but the complication was brought under control. By late September, abnormal cells in her bone marrow had fallen from 12% to 0.1%, and the window for transplantation had opened.

Then we encountered an unexpected problem. I had originally planned to be my mother's stem cell donor, but a key test showed that she had strongly positive HLA antibodies directed against me. Using me as the donor would therefore have increased the risk of graft failure, so we had to turn to the donor registry and search for an unrelated donor.

My mother's disease was moving faster than we had expected, and the leukemia cells were beginning to rise again. The longer we waited, the less favorable the situation became. Those were some of the most anxious days for me. Fortunately, we soon received good news from the China Marrow Donor Program: a matching volunteer donor had been found. What moved us even more was how quickly and generously the donor cooperated. From confirmation of the match, through the medical examination and collection preparations, to the successful infusion of the stem cells into my mother, the entire process took only 25 days.

I remain deeply grateful to this donor, someone we have never met. Without hesitation, they gave my mother something priceless: the treatment time she urgently needed.

Because of my mother's age, engraftment was somewhat slower. Even so, the transplant course was more stable than we had expected. She did not develop any severe infections, and although each step of recovery took time, she kept working with the medical team with remarkable determination. Day by day, she continued moving forward at her own pace.

On December 5, 2025, after 36 days in the transplant unit, my mother safely left protective isolation. While I was waiting outside, I also saw a 15-year-old girl walk briskly out of the unit. My mother, by contrast, was wheeled out slowly and still looked frail. But I knew that for a 76-year-old woman, making it through this stage and reaching the other side was an extraordinary and deeply meaningful victory.

Age Is Not the End of the Road: Recovery Brings New Hope

My mother is now six months post-transplant. Her follow-up results remain stable, and she is gradually regaining her strength. Looking back on everything our family went through, there are a few things I would like to share with other patients and families.

Information and choices matter. When we consulted hospitals in Xi'an, one of the responses we heard most often was, "Seventy-five is too old. We only transplant patients under 65." I am very grateful to the doctor who encouraged us to seek another opinion, and I am glad I did not hesitate to come to Beijing and speak with specialists in person. That decision helped us find another possibility at a time when we thought there were none left.

Trust expertise and communicate openly. At Boren, we experienced the transplant team's professionalism and depth of experience, particularly in caring for older adults undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. From designing the conditioning regimen, to round-the-clock monitoring in the transplant unit, to preventing and managing post-transplant complications and providing day-to-day care guidance, every step was handled carefully. I am deeply grateful to the Boren team for giving an elderly patient like my mother a chance to move forward.

Details matter, and caregiving is an important part of treatment. My mother had always been very frugal and would even hesitate to throw away leftovers. But after transplant, anything she ate could affect her infection risk. I explained it to her in practical terms: "Food is less than 1% of what we spend on treatment. But if unsafe food causes an infection, the cost could be tens of thousands of yuan - and more importantly, you would suffer and face additional risk." That helped her understand why following the medical team's instructions so carefully mattered. For older transplant patients in particular, attentive day-to-day care can make a meaningful difference.

As medicine continues to advance, I hope more patients and families are able to find their own door to hope. May every effort to keep going find an answer, and may every life placed in the hands of a medical team be treated with the care it deserves.