Chronic Graft Versus Host Disease

Book excerpt: Chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD) is the most common complication of allogenic bone marrow transplantation. Because of the protracted clinical course of chronic GVHD, transplant centers and hematology/oncology offices are inadequately equipped to manage these immuno-incompetent patients with a multi-system disorder. Practitioners need to be able to recognize and effectively manage chronic GVHD as a late effect of more than half of allogenic transplantations. The text is oriented for the clinician, with chapters covering staging, organ site and system-specific manifestations, treatment options, and supportive care. Drs Georgia B. Vogelsang and Steven Z. Pavletic have been pioneers in the recognition of the multi-organ complexity of this disease and have gathered the input of a variety of subspecialist physicians for this book. This book fills the gap in practical literature on chronic GVHD, providing a comprehensive, up-to-date, and clinically relevant resource for anyone who deals with cancer patients post-transplant.