3 Review(s)

High-dose therapy with allogeneic or autologous stem cell transplantation as well as additional supportive measures have brought important advances in the therapy of malignant diseases. Allogeneic and especially autologous peripheral blood stem cell grafting as opposed to allogeneic bone marrow transplantation is a subject of intensive research. Comprising a a series of scientific papers presented at the 4th International Stem Cell Workshop, High-Dose Therapy and Transplantation of Haematopoietic Stem Cells summarizes the most recent findings in this field, both in basic and clinical research, including newly developed methods. In this context, emphasis has been placed on: * Acute and chronic myeloid and lymphocytic leukaemia * Multiple myeloma * Myelodysplastic syndromes * Aplastic anaemia and autoimmune disease * Certain solid tumours (carcinomas of the breast, the ovary, the bronchia, the germ cell and soft tissue sarcoma) Novel approaches, such as metakine transplantation and gene therapy, are outlined from a theoretical as well as a practical point of view.The crucial question of early and late complications in allogeneic transplantation for solid tumours is dealt with expert contributions. A special section is dedicated to cord blood transplantation. Finally attention is drawn to further topics such as cell culture methods or the identification and separation of growth factors in haematopoietic stem cell cultures. With its international team of contributors, this new book presents the state-of-the-art in the field of high-dose therapy of malignant and non-malignant diseases.