ComplicationsHSCT is associated with numerous complications of which many may cause the death of the patient. The most common complications are: Graft failure/RejectionIn rare cases, the transplanted HSC do not produce enough blood cells to repopulate the host. Graft failure is different from graft rejection which is immune mediated. Because the conditioning eradicates the immune system of the patient, rejection occurs in less than 3% of the patients. However, the frequency increases when in patients receive a conditioning of reduced intensity Read more... Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)Acute and chronic GVHD are frequent after
HSC transplantation and may contribute significantly to transplant-related
morbidity and mortality. Read more... Infectious complicationsLife-threatening infectious complications are the consequences of the loss of immune system induced by conditioning. Most infections observed are typical for an immune suppressed patient and can also be observed in patients treated with immunosuppressive drugs. Read more... Side effectsThe radiation and drugs used for conditioning as well as for immunosuppression may cause several side effects (organ toxicity etc.). Read more... RelapseThe frequency of the recurrence of the original disease depends on the type of leukemia and on the stage of disease at the moment of transplantation. For some patients, the risk may be as high as 30 -70%. Read more... |