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News: GVHD

When the Treatment Fights Back

Friday, June 29th, 2012

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) – the main complication of allogeneic stem cell transplants – is the exact opposite of solid organ rejection: instead of your body rejecting the new organ, the new organ (the donor immune system) rejects you. In the acute post-transplant period, GVHD typically manifests as an itchy skin rash, gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, […]

Opening Pandora’s Box

Friday, June 29th, 2012

It’s been two years since Joan Meredith’s stem cell transplant for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Although she is now “100 percent donor” and her new immune system appears to be functioning well, she remains vigilant against the health complications related to her transplant – like infections, for example. “I hated wearing the mask because I […]