Scholars@Duke
Taewoong Choi

Taewoong Choi

Assistant Professor of Medicine
Medicine, Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapy
DUMC Box 3961, Durham, NC 27710
2400 Pratt St Suite 5000, DUMC Box 3961, Durham, NC 27710

Scholarly Works - Journal articles

Infectious Complications of CD19-targeted Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell Therapy: a Multicenter Cohort Study.

Journal article Open Forum Infect Dis · July 2026 BACKGROUND: Our understanding of the epidemiology of and risk factors for postchimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CART) infections is largely based on data from single-center studies with small sample sizes. METHODS: This is a multicenter, cohort stu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Musculoskeletal Adverse Events Following BCMA CAR T-Cell Therapy in Multiple Myeloma: Clinical Characteristics and Immune Correlates.

Journal article Transplant Cell Ther · May 2026 Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) has revolutionized treatment for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). While life-threatening toxicities like cytokine release syndrome and immune effector c ... Full text Link to item Cite

Respiratory Viral Infections Following CD19 CAR T-Cell Therapy.

Journal article J Med Virol · May 2026 Respiratory viral infections (RVI) are an important infectious complication after chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. However, the epidemiology of RVI following CAR T-cell therapy and their risk factors are not well defined. To describe the inc ... Full text Link to item Cite

Exploring Perspectives on Feasibility, Challenges, and Support Needs for Chlorhexidine Gluconate (CHG) Bathing in the Outpatient Setting for Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients: A Qualitative Study.

Journal article Transplant Cell Ther · January 2026 BACKGROUND: Chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) bathing is recommended for infection prevention in hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) patients. As more centers transition HCT care to outpatient settings, understanding patients' perceptions of CHG bathing f ... Full text Link to item Cite

Food insecurity prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplant is associated with malnutrition and worse outcomes.

Journal article Bone Marrow Transplant · June 2025 Food insecurity (FI), defined as the lack of continuous access to adequate food, affects 17-55% of cancer patients. Effects may be exacerbated in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients, who face nutritional challenges due to treatment side effe ... Full text Link to item Cite

A retrospective study on beta-blocker use and outcomes in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients.

Journal article PeerJ · 2025 Recent studies have linked beta-blocker (BB) use in critical care settings with improved survival outcomes, potentially due to beta-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) blockade and associated anti-inflammatory effects. Given the immune system's role in the developm ... Full text Link to item Cite

Exploring facilitators and barriers to daily chlorhexidine gluconate bathing in adult patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Journal article Support Care Cancer · November 28, 2024 UNLABELLED: Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a promising treatment for hematologic malignancies, but intensive conditioning leads to immunosuppression and susceptibility to healthcare-associated infections (HAI). Despite standard prevention meas ... Full text Link to item Cite

Financial Toxicity and Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Stem-Cell Transplant Evaluation: A Single-Center Analysis.

Journal article JCO Oncol Pract · March 2024 PURPOSE: We investigated the prevalence of financial toxicity in a population undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) evaluation and measured its impact on post-transplant clinical and health-related quality-of-life outcomes. MATERIALS AND METH ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Phase I Trial of SYK Inhibition with Fostamatinib in the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease.

Journal article Transplant Cell Ther · March 2023 Despite the exciting advancement of novel therapies, chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) remains the most common cause of non-relapse mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). Frontline treatment of cGVHD involves syst ... Full text Link to item Cite

Geriatric Assessment Reveals Actionable Impairments in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Candidates Age 18 to 80 Years.

Journal article Transplant Cell Ther · August 2022 Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is a potentially curative treatment for both malignant and nonmalignant hematologic diseases; however, reported rates of treatment-related mortality approach 30%. Outcomes are worse in patients who b ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association between Cholesterol Level and the Risk of Hematologic Malignancy According to Menopausal Status: A Korean Nationwide Cohort Study.

Journal article Biomedicines · July 6, 2022 Recent studies have revealed the possible association between serum cholesterol levels and hematologic malignancy (HM). However, limited information is available about how reproductive factors interact with this association. Therefore, we investigated the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association between Kidney Function, Proteinuria and the Risk of Multiple Myeloma: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study in South Korea.

Journal article Cancer Res Treat · July 2022 PURPOSE: While renal impairment is one of the first clinical manifestations of multiple myeloma (MM), declined renal function may conversely be a risk factor for cancers including MM. In this study, we investigated the relationship between chronic kidney d ... Full text Link to item Cite

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for multiple myeloma.

Journal article Pharmacol Ther · April 2022 Although treatment outcomes of multiple myeloma patients have improved significantly during the last two decades, myeloma is still an incurable disease. There are newly emerging immunotherapies to treat multiple myeloma including monoclonal antibodies, ant ... Full text Link to item Cite

Home-Based Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in the United States.

Journal article Transplant Cell Ther · April 2022 Patients undergoing allogeneic (allo) and autologous (auto) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) require extensive hospitalizations or daily clinic visits for the duration of their transplantation. Home HCT, wherein patients live at home and providers ... Full text Link to item Cite

Associations between Alcohol Consumption Patterns and Risk of Multiple Myeloma: A Nationwide Cohort Study in South Korea.

Journal article Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev · March 1, 2022 BACKGROUND: Among the potential modifiable risk factors, the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of multiple myeloma remains controversial. We investigated the effects of weekly average alcohol consumption and drinking pattern on the risk ... Full text Link to item Cite

Anaplastic Multiple Myeloma: Case Series and Literature Review.

Journal article Asploro J Biomed Clin Case Rep · 2022 BACKGROUND: Anaplastic multiple myeloma (AMM) is a very rare but distinct subtype of multiple myeloma (MM) with an extremely poor prognosis. Due to its rarity, AMM lacks detailed descriptions and clear definitions. Moreover, there is no consensus on the tr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Obesity-Independent Association between Glycemic Status and the Risk of Hematologic Malignancy: A Nationwide Population-Based Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Journal article Cancers (Basel) · September 23, 2021 There have been conflicting results regarding the association between diabetes and the risk of hematologic malignancies, and its interaction with obesity is unknown. This study determined the risk of hematologic malignancies according to the glycemic statu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Female Sex Is Associated with Improved Long-Term Survival Following Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Journal article Transplant Cell Ther · September 2021 Life expectancy for long-term survivors of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT), defined as those living ≥5 years post-transplantation, is significantly lower compared with that of the age-matched general population despite a relat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Decreased Mortality in 1-Year Survivors of Umbilical Cord Blood Transplant vs. Matched Related or Matched Unrelated Donor Transplant in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies.

Journal article Transplant Cell Ther · August 2021 Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) has the potential to cure hematologic malignancies but is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Although deaths during the first year after transplantation are often attributable to tr ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Association between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level and risk of hematologic malignancy.

Journal article Leukemia · May 2021 This study investigated the relationships between HDL-C and major types of blood cancers. Competing risks regression was used to examine the hazard ratios of hematologic malignancies in 9,596,145 individuals (≥20 years) using data from the Korean National ... Full text Link to item Cite

Chlorhexidine Gluconate Bathing Reduces the Incidence of Bloodstream Infections in Adults Undergoing Inpatient Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Journal article Transplant Cell Ther · March 2021 Bloodstream infections (BSIs) occur in 20% to 45% of inpatient autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) patients. Daily bathing with the antiseptic chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) has been shown to reduce the incidence of BSIs in critica ... Full text Link to item Cite

Assessing the Feasibility of a Novel mHealth App in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients.

Journal article Transplant Cell Ther · February 2021 Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is a curative treatment option for patients with hematologic conditions but presents many complications that must be managed as a complex, chronic condition. Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) may permit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Lipid Level, Lipid Variability, and Risk of Multiple Myeloma: A Nationwide Population-Based Study of 3,527,776 Subjects.

Journal article Cancers (Basel) · January 31, 2021 (1) Background: There is evidence that abnormality in lipid metabolism promotes cancer development. This study investigated whether lipid level and its variability are associated with the development of MM at a population level. (2) Methods: A retrospectiv ... Full text Link to item Cite

A phase 2 trial of the somatostatin analog pasireotide to prevent GI toxicity and acute GVHD in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

Journal article PLoS One · 2021 BACKGROUND: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is an often curative intent treatment, however it is associated with significant gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity and treatment related mortality. Graft-versus-host disease is a significant ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical and Neuroimaging Correlates of Post-Transplant Delirium.

Journal article Biol Blood Marrow Transplant · December 2020 Delirium is common among adults undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT), although the clinical and neuroimaging correlates of post-HCT delirium have not been adequately delineated. We therefore examined the frequency of delirium and neuroi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Pre-transplant hepatic steatosis (fatty liver) is associated with chronic graft-vs-host disease but not mortality.

Journal article PLoS One · 2020 Allogeneic-HCT (allo-HCT), while potentially curative, can result in significant complications including graft versus host disease (GVHD). Prior studies suggest that metabolic syndrome may be one risk factor for GVHD. We hypothesized that hepatic steatosis ... Full text Link to item Cite

Is autologous stem cell transplantation still relevant for multiple myeloma?

Journal article Curr Opin Hematol · November 2019 PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Autologous stem cell transplantation has been the standard of care in myeloma treatment for many years, but the availability of newer antimyeloma drugs and the emerging data from chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell clinical studies ma ... Full text Link to item Cite

Ly49-dependent NK cell licensing and effector inhibition involve the same interaction site on MHC ligands.

Journal article J Immunol · April 1, 2011 NK cells become functionally competent to be triggered by their activation receptors through the interaction of NK cell inhibitory receptors with their cognate self-MHC ligands, an MHC-dependent educational process termed "licensing." For example, Ly49A(+) ... Full text Link to item Cite

HLA alleles determine differences in human natural killer cell responsiveness and potency

Journal article Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · February 26, 2008 Epidemiological studies have associated certain human disease outcomes with particular killer cell Ig-like receptor (KIR) and HLA genotypes. However, the functional explanation for these associations is poorly understood, becau ... Full text Cite