graft-versus-host disease

American  

[graft-vur-suhs-hohst, grahft-] / ˈgræftˌvɜr səsˈhoʊst, ˈgrɑft- /

noun

1. a reaction in which the cells of transplanted tissue immunologically attack the cells of the host organism, occurring especially in bone-marrow transplants.

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Etymology

Origin of graft-versus-host disease

First recorded in 1970–75

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

graft-versus-host disease

I also experienced the risky complication known as graft-versus-host disease, in which donor immune cells, even when they are a lifesaving match, attack the recipient’s body—sometimes fatally.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026

After one year, 89% of patients had no chronic graft-versus-host disease.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 5, 2024

All patients in the study received itacitinib before transplantation and for 4-6 months after transplant, in addition to standard care for prevention of graft-versus-host disease.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 5, 2024

But finding a matching cell donor can be difficult, and a transplant can lead to graft-versus-host disease, a potentially deadly condition in which donor cells attack a patient’s cells.

From Science Magazine ● Aug. 11, 2021

Brown and the London patient also suffered from graft-versus-host disease as the transplanted immune systems attacked other recipient tissues as foreign.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 4, 2019

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