Late Effects and Long-Term Follow-Up

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation was successfully performed in 1968, and its use has grown significantly over the past five decades with the total number now exceeding 1 million patients. HSCT is a curative treatment for many haematological cancers and other disorders. Almost 40,000 HSCT procedures are performed Europe-wide per annum (Passweg et al., Bone Marrow Transplant, 2016), and with a 5-year survival around 50% (Friedrichs, Lancet Oncol 11(4):331–338, 2010), the number of transplant recipients achieving ‘long-term survival’ and with late effects directly related to their treatment (Majhail et al., Hematol oncol Stem Cell Ther 5(1):1–30, 2012) is increasing. This growth in survivors is the result of improvements in transplant knowledge and expertise, refinements to conditioning regimes, developments in supportive care and increased numbers of procedures due to broadening transplant indications.