TURKISH JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY
2016 , Vol 31 , Num 3
Allogenic Stem Cell Transplantation and Total Body Irradiation
Department of Radiation Oncology, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir-Turkey
The clinical importance of bone marrow transplantation has increased considerably in recent decades.
More than 450 centers for bone marrow transplantation now exist worldwide, performing more than
5000 transplantations per year. The number of transplant centers and patients has increased dramatically
in Turkey in the last several years. When transplant donor and recipient are different individuals,
hematopoietic graft is known as allogeneic graft. Total body irradiation (TBI) remains an important
component of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant, with the goal of eradicating residual malignant
cells and modulating the immune system of the transplant recipient. TBI is especially advantageous
in allogeneic stem cell transplantation, since its biological effects can be exerted uniformly without sparing
the “sanctuary” sites, such as nervous system or testicles. In this report, the role of TBI in allogeneic
stem cell transplantation is reviewed.
Keywords :
Allogenic stem cell transplantation; bone marrow donor; total body irradiation