Frontiers in Immunology (Jun 2017)

Graft-versus-Leukemia Effect Following Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Leukemia

  • Anne M. Dickinson,
  • Jean Norden,
  • Shuang Li,
  • Ilona Hromadnikova,
  • Christoph Schmid,
  • Helga Schmetzer,
  • Hans Jochem-Kolb

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2017.00496
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8

Abstract

Read online

The success of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) lies with the ability of the engrafting immune system to remove residual leukemia cells via a graft-versus-leukemia effect (GvL), caused either spontaneously post-HSCT or via donor lymphocyte infusion. GvL effects can also be initiated by allogenic mismatched natural killer cells, antigen-specific T cells, and activated dendritic cells of leukemic origin. The history and further application of this GvL effect and the main mechanisms will be discussed and reviewed in this chapter.

Keywords