Acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease in man
Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation offers the hope of cure of heretofore untreatable diseases. Graft-versus-host disease is a complication of this medical progress and impedes application of marrow grafting to a wider range of hematologic disorders. It also presents the physician with complex clinical problems not even described in previous years. New knowledge of the immunopathogenesis of acute and chronic GVHD has been derived. The data assist the investigator in understanding control of the immune response and discrimination between self and non-self. Improvements in the diagnosis, supportive care and immunosuppressive prophylaxis and treatment of GVHD have been described over the last decade. Continuation and consolidation of these incremental advances hold promise for considerable progress in the control of graft-versus-host disease in man.
