Patients who have stem cell transplantation face an increased risk of infection, bleeding, and other side effects because of the large doses of chemotherapy and radiation they receive. In addition, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) may occur in patients who receive stem cells from a donor’s bone marrow. In GVHD, the donated stem cells react against the patient’s tissues. Most often, the liver, skin, or digestive tract is affected. GVHD can be mild or very severe. It can occur any time after the transplant, even years later. Steroids or other drugs may help.

The NCI offers a fact sheet called “Questions and Answers About Bone Marrow Transplantation and Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation.” It is available on the Internet at http://www.cancer.gov/publications. Also, information specialists at the NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER can send this fact sheet and answer questions about stem cell transplantation.

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