Psychosocial Assessment of Candidates for Transplantation scale (PACT) and survival after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Recent findings suggest that patient pre-transplant psychosocial risk factors predict survival after hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) and importance of comprehensive psychosocial assessment during pre-transplant period is increasingly acknowledged. Psychosocial screening process, however, has not been standardized across transplant centers and its predictive value has not yet been confirmed. An observational cohort study was conducted to explore the relationships between psychosocial variables, assessed with the Psychosocial Assessment of Candidates for Transplantation (PACT) scale, and post-transplant overall survival (OS) of patients with hematologic malignancies who received allogeneic HSCT as treatment. Overall, 119 patient medical records were reviewed to determine the PACT score. After controlling for clinical and demographic covariates, lower PACT scores in the domain of compliance with medications and medical advice were significantly associated with poorer OS (HR = 1.75, P = 0.03). Lower PACT ratings in the subscales of personality and psychopathology (HR = 1.35, P = 0.08), lifestyle factors (HR = 1.43, P = 0.08), and relevant disease knowledge and receptiveness to education (HR = 1.32, P = 0.08) tended to be associated with shorter OS. These findings suggested the association between pre-transplant psychosocial factors using PACT and post-transplant OS in patients receiving allogeneic HSCT.