Stem Cell Transplantation for Hematologic Malignancies

Book excerpt: A comprehensive survey of the current state-of-the-art in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for malignant disease. The authors focus on the indications and results of transplantation for acute leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and breast cancer. Special attention is given to transplant-related complications, including the pathophysiology and clinical consequences of acute and chronic GVHD, delayed immune reconstitution leading to infectious complications, and organ damage to the lung and liver. Additional chapters address the sources of stem cells and the effects of graft manipulation used to eliminate residual contaminating tumor cells in autologous transplantation, or to reduce the number of T lymphocytes causing GVHD in allogenic transplantation.