Prevalence of decisional regret among patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and associations with quality of life and clinical outcomes

Background Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHCT) is potentially curative but with known negative effects on quality of life. In the current study, the authors investigated whether patients expressed regret after undergoing HCT and the relationships between clinical outcomes and quality of life. Methods Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research data from 184 adults who completed the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Bone Marrow Transplant (FACT‐BMT) before undergoing alloHCT and at day 100 were used. Additional time points were 6 months and 12 months. Regret was measured using a FACT‐BMT item not included in scoring: “I regret having the bone marrow transplant.” The authors evaluated FACT‐BMT scores and regret using Student t‐tests. Covariance pattern models were used to determine predictors of regret over time, including baseline characteristics and post‐alloHCT outcomes (acute or chronic graft‐versus‐host‐disease, disease recurrence). Results At 100 days, 6 months, and 12 months, approximately 6% to 8% of patients expressed regret; a total of 15% expressed regret at any time point. Regret was found to be associated with lower FACT‐BMT scores at 6 months and 12 months (P