Bone marrow transplantation for sickle cell disease: Where do we go from here?

Bone marrow transplantation has curative potential for patients who have si ckle cell disease. However, concerns about short-term and long-term toxicit y, lack of suitable stem cell donors, and limited access to this treatment currently make it an infrequently utilized treatment for sickle cell diseas e; The current results of bone marrow transplantation for sickle cell disea se and barriers to wider application are reviewed. Strategies that might le ad to broader availability and reduced toxicity of bone marrow transplantat ion are discussed.