TRANSFUSION AND STEM-CELL SUPPORT IN CANCER-TREATMENT

Intensification of therapeutic regimens, improved patient survival, an d advances in cytokine and cellular therapies have led to increasingly complex requirements for transfusion and stem cell support in cancer treatment. This article focuses on current and evolving issues in red blood cell, platelet, and granulocyte transfusion support, as well as measures to avoid increasingly important complications of transfusion therapy, such as alloimmunization, graft-versus-host disease, cytomega lovirus infection, and immunomodulation. Issues concerning current app lications of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and future prospe cts also are discussed.