Bone marrow transplantation from unrelated donors.

Unrelated donor bone marrow transplants provide the alternative to allogeneic transplants for patients lacking an HLA-matched related family member donor. Because the donor and recipient have greater immunogenetic disparity than related donor transplants, these transplants are associated with a higher rate of immunologic complications. This disparity has also translated into a lower risk of relapse relative to sibling donor transplants, enabling this treatment to offer a cure to advanced-disease patients.