Donor lymphocyte infusion after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Abstract

Donor lymphocyte infusion, a rescue therapy after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, has been increasingly adopted, as modalities of stem cell transplantation have widened. First described as donor lymphocyte transfusion or cell therapy, it consists of infusion of donor lymphocytes, collected in steady state or after growth factor enhancement. As in literature the most used name is donor lymphocyte infusion, we'll adopt it here. Its most striking efficacy is observed in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia, who relapsed after allogeneic stem cells transplantation. However, graft-versus-host disease, its main complication, may still hamper its feasibility.