Complications after a bone marrow transplant

Bone marrow transplants are an effective treatment for a several forms of blood cancer, including leukaemia. The treatment means that the patient receives stem cells from a healthy donor, so that theses donor cells can combat cancer cells and form the foundation for new, healthy bone marrow.

However, it is associated with a considerable risk that the patient will develop Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD), in which the donor cells attack healthy tissues in the patient. It can lead to serious inflammation and damage to organs, increasing the risk of debilitating disease, or, in the worst cases, it may be fatal. It is therefore crucial that GvHD is treated early in the course of the disease.

“An earlier study has shown that the level of the immune marker sCD163 in the blood correlates with the development of acute GvHD and the later occurrence of chronic GvHD in children who have had a bone marrow transplant. The Vissing Foundation is supporting our study, which aims to investigate whether this connection is also seen in adults. We will investigate whether sCD163 is potentially what is known as a biomarker, and can be used to predict whether there is a particular risk of a patient developing GvHD, and thus improve the treatment,” says Maja Munk Kristoffersen, a researcher at the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the Rigshospital.