Receipt of blood products from another person can be thought of as a large tissue transplant from one person to another. Red blood cells are matched based on ABO type to prevent transfusion reactions, but there are multiple other immune mismatches that can occur at the time of transfusion. Transfusion immunology involves understanding how this affects the recipient’s immune system, particularly in disease states such as cancer. Studying transfusion immune response will help us better manage potential side effects due to transfusion.
