Alia Cibich

Alia Cibich

Higher Degree by Research Candidate

Adelaide Medical School

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Alia Cibich is a PhD (Medicine) student with the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit (BMTU) at Royal Adelaide Hospital and the 2024 Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) Dawes Scholar. She is supervised by A/Prof Devendra Hiwase, A/Prof David Yeung and Prof Susan Branford. Her PhD is investigating the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and management of secondary cancers after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Alia is also the BMTU Clinical Data Manager at Royal Adelaide Hospital. She maintains a Statewide clinical registry with over 2000 patients spanning more than 40 years. In her time as Data Manager, she has led and contributed to multiple clinical audits and reviews, the findings of which presented at numerous international meetings. Alia is also a member of the Australian and New Zealand Transplant and Cellular Therapy (ANZTCT) Registry Board and was recently appointed as Chair of the ANZTCT Data Manager Special Interest Group.

Alia has a special interest in the late complications of allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant. Her goal is to ensure patients thrive, not merely survive, well after transplant.

Blood cancers (when combined) are both the second most diagnosed and common cause of cancer-related mortality in Australia. There are more than 110,000 people living with blood cancer in Australia today, projected to increase to 275,000 people by 2035.

Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a potentially curative therapy for many high-risk blood cancers such as acute myeloid leukaemia. It is arguably the most intensive form of cancer treatment. Advancements in clinical practice have led to improved outcomes and increased survivorship. However, long-term survivors experience significant late morbidity and risk of mortality due to treatment-associated toxicities. Perhaps the most devastating late complication of HSCT is development of new secondary cancers in patients otherwise cured of their blood cancer.

Secondary cancers are highly heterogenous, with reports of malignancy in essentially all tissues/organs. Unlike many other complications of HSCT, secondary cancers are poorly described. Reported incidence and latency is highly variable, and pathogenesis inadequately understood. Consequently, minimal guidance is available to clinicians for the management of patients. Furthermore, existing data does not consider contemporary clinical practice. Thus, investigation of these gaps has potential to inform development of a risk-stratified clinical algorithm and identify novel therapeutic targets. Clinicians will be better equipped to make informed decisions on treatment plans, and patients will benefit from improved procedural safety by proactive risk management.

  • Journals
    Year Citation
    2023 Baranwal, A., Chhetri, R., Yeung, D., Clark, M., Shah, S., Litzow, M. R., . . . Shah, M. V. (2023). Factors predicting survival following alloSCT in patients with therapy-related AML and MDS: a multicenter study.. Bone Marrow Transplant, 58(7), 769-776.
    DOI Scopus6 WoS1 Europe PMC6

  • Conference Items
    Year Citation
    2023 Cibich, M. A., Wu, X., Sharplin, K., Pham, A., Shanmuganathan, N., Singhal, D., . . . Hiwase, D. (2023). Outcomes of ABO Incompatible Allogeneic Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: A Single-Centre Retrospective Cohort Review. Poster session presented at the meeting of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Elsevier BV.
    DOI
    2023 Cibich, M. A., Schultz, C., Sharplin, K., Chhetri, R., Selby, P., Shanmuganathan, N., . . . Hiwase, D. (2023). Incidence of Decreased Bone Mineral Density Post Allogeneic Haemopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: Single Institution Retrospective Analysis. Poster session presented at the meeting of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Elsevier BV.
    DOI
    2022 Cibich, A., Chhetri, R., Sharplin, K. M., Shanmuganathan, N., Yeung, D. T., Singhal, D., . . . Hiwase, D. (2022). Comparable Survival Following Allogeneic Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Utilising HLA-Matched Versus Alternative Donors: A Single-Centre Retrospective, Consecutive Cohort Analysis. Poster session presented at the meeting of BLOOD. New Orleans, LA: AMER SOC HEMATOLOGY.
    DOI
    2022 Stefani, K., Cibich, A., Hiwase, D., & Sidhu, S. (2022). An Audit of Hyper Acute Graft-Versus Host Disease at the Royal Adelaide Hospital from 2005-2018. Poster session presented at the meeting of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Elsevier BV.
    DOI
    2022 Baranwal, A., Chhetri, R., Kok, C., Alkhateeb, H. B., Mangaonkar, A., Johnson, B. K., . . . Shah, M. V. (2022). Factors Predicting Survival Following Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant in Patients with Therapy-Related Myeloid Neoplasms. Poster session presented at the meeting of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Elsevier BV.
    DOI
    2021 Cibich, A., Sharplin, K., Purins, L., Vo, M., Beligaswatte, A., Singhal, D., . . . Hiwase, D. (2021). Comparing the Kinetics of Donor Chimerism Following Myeloablative and Reduced Intensity Conditioning Regimens for Allogenic Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant. Poster session presented at the meeting of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Elsevier BV.
    DOI

Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) Dawes Scholarship 2024 

  • Committee Memberships
    Date Role Committee Institution Country
    2024 - ongoing Member ANZTCT Registry Committee Australian and New Zealand Transplantation and Cellular Therapies Australia
    2023 - ongoing Co-Chair Data Manager Special Interest Group Australian and New Zealand Transplantation and Cellular Therapies Australia

  • Memberships
    Date Role Membership Country
    2023 - ongoing Member Australian and New Zealand Transplantation and Cellular Therapies Australia
    2023 - ongoing Member Haematology Society of Australian and New Zealand Australia
    2023 - ongoing Member American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapies United States
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