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 is a medical procedure in the fields
of hematology and oncology, 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 is a major
complication of allogenic HSCT.
Hematopoietic
stem cell transplantation remains a dangerous procedure with many
possible complications; it is reserved for patients with
life-threatening diseases. As the survival of the procedure increases, its use has expanded beyond cancer, such as autoimmune diseases.
