Principles of haemopoietic stem cell transplantation

Rapid developments within the field of stem cell transplantation 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. Increasing use of alternative donor sources, particularly the 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 immunotherapy including chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapies.