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RATIONALE: Studying samples of blood in the laboratory from patients who have undergone a donor bone marrow transplant may help doctors learn more about changes that occur in DNA and identify biomarkers related to graft-versus-host disease. It may also help doctors predict how patients will respond to a donor bone marrow transplant.

PURPOSE: This laboratory study is looking at early detection of graft-versus-host disease in patients undergoing a donor bone marrow transplant.

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

• Identify detectable changes in the transcriptomic or proteomic expression prior to clinical manifestations of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in blood samples from at-risk patients who have undergone allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

Secondary

• Characterize changes in the transcriptome or proteome expression pattern which are predictive of clinically significant GVHD in these patients.
• Develop reliable tests which enable early intervention for these patients.

OUTLINE: Blood samples are collected prior to and just after typical onset of clinical graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) on days 1, 7-10, 20-23, 30-33, and 60 after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. RNA is quantified and assessed by microarray analysis to identify changes to transcriptome or proteome expression and markers predictive of the onset of clinical GVHD. Samples are also stored for future analysis.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Any patient undergoing an allogeneic bone marrow transplantation at one of the participating Mayo Clinic sites

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Body weight ≥ 15 kg
• Not pregnant
• Not a prisoner

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics

Patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation at participating institutions.