Cystatin C Discrepancy Predicts Kidney Injury and Death in Cell Therapy

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies offer curative potential for advanced hematologic malignancies, yet they carry substantial risks of treatment-related mortality [1, 2]. Acute kidney injury remains a frequent and severe complication in this population, often exacerbated by conditioning regimens, sepsis, and the nephrotoxic burden of antimicrobial prophylaxis [3, 4]. While clinicians routinely use estimated glomerular filtration rates to gauge renal reserve, these calculations can be misleading in patients with significant frailty or sarcopenia (the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength often seen in chronic illness) [5, 6]. Standard creatinine-based assessments may fail to capture the true physiological vulnerability of patients who have endured multiple lines of prior therapy [7]. A multi-center study now examines whether the discordance between different filtration markers can provide a more precise prognostic window into post-transplant outcomes.