Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation infuses blood-forming stem cells to restore or alter blood and immune-cell production. The cells may come from the patient or a donor.

Conditioning regimen: Chemotherapy, radiation, or both given before transplantation to suppress disease and prepare the recipient for donor cells. It creates space for donor cells and reduces malignant or immune cells before infusion.
Acute myeloid leukemia: A rapidly progressing cancer of myeloid blood-forming cells. Allogeneic transplantation can reduce relapse risk for selected patients with this leukemia.
Autologous stem cell transplantation: A transplant using a patient's own previously collected blood-forming stem cells. It restores blood formation after intensive therapy without donor-cell immune effects.
Reduced-intensity conditioning: A transplant preparative approach using less intensive chemotherapy or radiation than conventional myeloablative conditioning. It may permit transplantation for people unable to tolerate fully intensive conditioning.
Engraftment: The establishment and growth of transplanted blood-forming cells in the recipient's bone marrow. Engraftment marks whether infused cells have begun producing blood cells.
Aplastic anemia: A bone marrow failure disorder in which blood-cell production becomes severely reduced. Transplantation can replace marrow that no longer makes adequate blood cells.
Allogeneic stem cell transplantation: A transplant using blood-forming stem cells from another person, related or unrelated to the recipient. Donor cells can provide healthy blood formation and an immune attack on cancer.
Myeloablative conditioning: A preparative regimen that severely damages bone marrow and requires stem-cell rescue. Its intensity contrasts with reduced-intensity approaches and carries distinct toxicity.
Hematopoietic stem cell mobilization: The process of moving blood-forming stem cells from bone marrow into circulating blood for collection. Mobilization makes peripheral blood a practical source of transplant cells.
Sickle cell disease: An inherited disorder in which abnormal hemoglobin causes red blood cells to deform and obstruct blood flow. Donor stem cells can establish production of red cells without sickle hemoglobin.

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