Bone marrow transplantation for cancer: an overview.

Abstract

Although allogeneic bone marrow transplantation has been attempted for over 50 years (Bortin 1970), it was not until 1968 that the first successful transplant was achieved in a child with an immunodeficiency syndrome (Gatti et al. 1968). Since that time, allogeneic, and more recently autologous, transplantation has grown repidly as a means of treating a variety of malignant and nonmalignant disorders. In a recent survey conducted by the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry (IBMTR), data from 342 institutions in 47 countries revealed that 14745 patients had been treated with either allogeneic or syngeneic transplants during the years 1988–1990 (Bortin et al. 1992). Overall, it is estimated that over 32500 allogeneic or syngeneic transplants have been performed worldwide since the first successful transplant.