Efficacy and safety of a new cladribine-based conditioning regimen for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia

In this small single-center retrospective series, the cladribine-based conditioning regimen was associated with favorable hematopoietic reconstruction, mild RRT, and promising survival outcomes in children with R/R AML, even in partial patients with pre-transplant MRD positivity. However, due to the limited sample size, single-arm design, and lack of a control group, conclusions regarding superiority (e.g., improved OS or reduced relapse) cannot be drawn. Larger prospective multi-center studies are required to validate these preliminary findings.