Physiology of Stem Cell Transplantation: Learning Objectives
Medical Importance
Stem cell transplantation is a treatment options for many patients with hematologic diseases. Stem cell transplantation involves eliminating a patient's hematopoietic and immune system by chemotherapy and radiotherapy and replacing it with one's own or another person's hematopoietic stem cells.Objectives
- List the indications for hematopoietic stem cell transplant and the rationale for this treatment choice.
- Describe the different types and sources of hematopoietic stem cells.
- Describe principles of pre-transplant conditioning and the role for post-transplant immunosuppression.
- Describe graft versus host disease and graft versus tumor effect.
- Describe the pathophysiologic basis for acute and chronic graft versus host disease.
- Describe the changes in humoral and cellular immunity following stem cell transplant and how they relate to infectious complications.