Now open, the SC30 study investigating the role of immunoglobulin and antibiotics on infections in patients with blood cancers

Wednesday, March 04, 2026

The new SC30 RATIONAL-PT international study is now open in Canada and will compare different approaches to preventing infections in people with blood cancers with low antibody levels. People with blood cancers often develop low levels of antibodies that can lead to an increased chance of developing an infection. These infections can cause serious illness, which may require being admitted to hospital.

“We currently recommend blood transfusions of donor antibodies if the immune system is compromised what we don’t know if this is the best treatment for infection prevention, we don’t know when we should start it, we don’t know what dose we should give, and we don’t know when it is safe to stop,” says Dr. Jeannie Callum, Hematologist at Kingston Health Sciences Centre and Queen's Professor in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine and SC30 Canadian Co-Chair. “Our hope is that this trial can better guide physicians on when to start, how much to give patients, and when it is safe to stop the treatment.”

Many patients receive immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IgRT). However, there is limited evidence on when to start or stop IgRT, what dose to use, and if antibiotics can be used instead. In many other countries the approach is to use daily antibiotics and to reserve immunoglobulin only for patients that fail antibiotics. This study may help doctors who treat patients with blood diseases in the future to understand which treatment to prescribe to prevent serious infections.

“The use of immunoglobulin to help prevent infections has long been part of routine care in patients with blood cancers," says Dr. Alfonso Rivera Duarte, staff physician within the Division of Hematology at the Saint John Regional Hospital and SC30 Canadian Co-Chair. "While immunoglobulin replacement therapy has been used for decades, important questions remain and our goal is to generate clear evidence that will guide clinicians in making the best possible decisions about immunoglobulin replacement therapy."

This trial is supported by the Canadian Cancer Society with direct funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. It is the first collaboration between the Canadian Transfusion Trials Group and the CCTG Hematology and Supportive Care Committees with partners at the Transfusion Research Unit at Monash University in Australia (TRU-RPT-22).