Which of the following is the most likely complication of allogenic bone marrow transplantation?

A patient with aplastic anemia receives a bone marrow transplant from a human lymphocyte antigen (HLA)-matched sister. Which of the following is the most likely complication of allogenic bone marrow transplantation?

(A) graft-versus-host disease
(B) graft failure
© radiation sickness
(D) development of leukemia
(E) secondary skin cancer

solution:

(A) Graft-versus-host disease is a frequent complication of hematopoietic cell transplantation. It is caused by a reaction of immunologically competent donor derived T cells that react with recipient tissue antigens. It can be acute or chronic. Numerous treatment regimens involving methotrexate, glucocorticoids, cyclosporine, and
other drugs are used in treatment.