Graft versus host disease is a potentially severe complication that occurs after transplant procedures of reduced-intensity allogeneic stem cell transplantation and allogeneic stem cell transplantation where the immune cells from the donor view the patient’s healthy cells as foreign and attack the recipient patient host’s tissues
In an allogeneic transplant stem cell transplantation, a patient receives bone marrow tissue or cells from a donor or donated umbilical cord blood.
It can also occur after transplantation of solid organs other than bone marrow transplant procedures.
Conventional treatment for many different cancers is stem cell transplantation as well as some other non-cancer conditions that affect the blood or immune system.
Graft-versus-host disease has symptoms that vary from mild to extremely severe, which can cause death.
Stem cell transplantation is a conventional treatment for many different cancers (malignancies), including diseases that affect the blood and lymph nodes, as well as some other (non-cancer) conditions that affect the blood or immune system. A stem cell transplant is sometimes performed after a relapse of leukemia or lymphoma that occurs after initial treatment.
Graft Versus Host Disease is performed after there is high compatibility of the donor’s bone marrow cells to the host’s cells. If there is high compatibility, there is less chance to develop.