Principles of haemopoietic stem cell transplantation

Abstract

Rapid developments within the field of stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy have occurred over the last few decades. Improvements in conditioning regimens coupled with advances in supportive and anti-infective care have in general correlated with improved survival compared with historical cohorts. Rapid adoption of haploidentical donors has allowed more patients without a matched sibling or well-matched unrelated donor to proceed with allogeneic transplantation as a therapeutic modality. Here, we highlight the main indications for autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplantations, with a focus on stem cell harvesting and graft-versus-host disease. Key areas of current research focus are highlighted, as is the exploration of novel immunotherapeutic approaches including chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapies.