Cellular therapy in Europe reached a historic milestone in 2024, with the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation reporting over one million hematopoietic cell transplants since 1990.
The 2024 survey, covering 688 centers across 53 countries, documented 47,204 transplants in 43,791 patients. Of those, 21,023 were allogeneic and 26,181 were autologous.
Overall transplant activity dipped 1.1% from 2023, driven by a 3.9% decline in autologous procedures. But allogeneic transplants rose 2.6%, hitting the highest annual level ever recorded.
Unrelated donors accounted for 56% of allogeneic transplants, up 5% from the prior year. HLA-identical sibling donors held steady at 25%, while haploidentical donors made up 19%. Cord blood transplants continued to fall, down 6.2%.
The main driver for allogeneic transplants was myeloid malignancies at 62%, followed by lymphoid malignancies at 24% and non-malignant disorders at 17%. For autologous procedures, plasma cell disorders led at 59%, then lymphomas at 22% and solid tumors at 6%.
CAR T cell therapy is expanding rapidly. A total of 6,082 patients received treatment in 2024, a 24.5% increase over 2023. Since 2018, more than 20,000 patients have undergone CAR T therapy.
Lymphomas remained the top indication at 70%, followed by multiple myeloma at 18% and acute lymphoblastic leukemia at 8%. Researchers also noted a 67% jump in CAR T use for autoimmune diseases.
Pediatric transplant activity dipped slightly, down 1.7% overall. Despite annual fluctuations, transplant and CAR T activity have grown steadily, with pandemic-related declines reversed by safety measures and system resilience.
Starting in 2025, the EBMT survey will separately track adult and pediatric activity, aiming to build a comprehensive database for monitoring trends and improving equitable access.