Bone marrow transplantation is a medical procedure which is used to
treat mainly life-threatening diseases such as cancer, autoimmune
diseases and hereditary skeletal dysplasias. The two types of grafts in
stem cell transplant are autologous and allogeneic. Autologous stem
cells are extracted from a patient and stored in a freezer. The person
is treated with chemotherapy in order to destroy the malignant cells,
and then the stored cells are transplanted into the bloodstream.
Allogeneic stem cell transplant involves a healthy donor who provides
stem cells to a diseased patient. The stem cells can be extracted from
the bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cells and amniotic fluid. This
book discusses the fundamentals as well as modern approaches of stem
cell and bone marrow transplantation. Also included herein is a detailed
explanation of the various concepts and applications of these medical
procedures. The book will help the readers in keeping pace with the
rapid changes in this field.