Current issues and future directions in marrow transplantation.

Abstract

The use of allogeneic marrow transplantation as treatment for patients with various hematological diseases has increased in recent years [1–6]. A survey by the International Bone Marrow Transplantation Registry [7] estimated the number of transplants carried out through the year 1987 to be in the order of 20000, more than 10000 of these during the years of 1985 through 1987. Marrow transplantation has been employed in most cases (≥ 80%) for therapy of malignant hematologic diseases. Roughly 10% of all transplants have been for the treatment of patients with acquired or inherited marrow dysfunction (aplastic anemia), and 5%–6% have been for treatment of congenital defects of the hematopoietic and immune systems (thalassemia major, severe combined immuno-deficiency disease, and other inborn errors).KeywordsBone Marrow TransplantationAplastic AnemiaAcute GVHDChronic GVHDSevere Combine Immunodeficiency DiseaseThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.