Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
(HSCT) is the transplantation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells, usually
derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood. It may be
autologous (the patient’s own stem cells are used), allogeneic (the stem cells
come from a donor) or syngeneic (from an identical twin). It is a medical
procedure in the field of hematology, most often performed for patients with
certain cancers of the blood or bone marrow, such as multiple myeloma or
leukemia. In these cases, the recipient’s immune system is usually destroyed
with radiation or chemotherapy before the transplantation. Infection and
graft-versus-host disease are major complications of allogeneic HSCT. Hematopoietic
stem cell transplantation remains a dangerous procedure with many possible
complications; it is reserved for patients with life-threatening diseases. As
survival following the procedure has increased, its use has expanded beyond
cancer, such as autoimmune diseases.
In the present book, fifteen typical
literatures about hematopoietic stem cell transplantation published on
international authoritative journals were selected to introduce the worldwide
newest progress, which contains reviews or original researches on medical
science, transplantation medicine, hematology, stem cells, epidemiology, ect.
We hope this book can demonstrate advances in hematopoietic stem cell
transplantation as well as give references to the researchers, students and
other related people.