Long-term Physiological Side Effects After Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation

Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT) or stem cell transplantation has the potential to cure a significant proportion of patients with otherwise fatal diseases. At present, immediate survival is no longer the sole concern after allo-BMT, because many patients can survive the acute complications of the procedure and remain free of their original disease for several years. Although long-term allo-BMT survivors generally enjoy good health, for many others cure or control of the underlying disease is not accompanied by full restoration of health. The long-term physiologic effects after allo-BMT include nonmalignant organ or tissue dysfunction; changes in quality of life; infections related to delayed, or abnormal, immune reconstitution; and secondary cancers. These long-term complications and the features of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) symptoms are heterogeneous in nature, time of onset, duration, and severity. The underlying origin of these complications is often multifactorial, with chronic GVHD being the most challenging risk factor. The main aims of this review are to present transplant physicians and health care providers with an overview of these malignant and nonmalignant late complications, with a special focus on chronic GVHD. A close partnership between the transplant center, organ-specific specialties, and local primary care providers is a key component of preventive medicine. The patient can play a major role through engagement in health maintenance behaviors.