Preparation
A transplant case
manager is assigned to you and explains in detail the tests and labwork required
as part of the evaluation process. Testing is conducted to ensure that your
heart and lungs are functioning at a satisfactory level and that you do not have
any active infections.
If you are receiving an allogeneic transplant,
we ask your family members to have a sample of blood drawn and sent to our lab
so we can determine if there is a potential match. If we are unable to locate a
match from your family members, our donor transplant coordinator searches the
National and International Bone Marrow Registries to find a match for you.
Harvest/Collection
The goal is to obtain
stem cells, which are the parent cells that generate the production of all kinds
of blood and immune system cells necessary to life. Stem cells are found in the
bone marrow and the blood, so they may be collected from either site. The final
result is the same - these healthy stem cells will be used to regenerate your
bone marrow and restart your immune system.
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Bone marrow harvest
Bone marrow is removed in a simple surgical procedure that extracts the marrow from the hipbone; or
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Peripheral blood stem cell collection
After treatment with a stimulating agent to increase production of stem cells, stem cells are collected directly from the blood in several sessions.
Therapy
You are admitted to
the hospital and given high-dose chemotherapy and/or total body irradiation to
destroy cancerous or diseased cells. During your stay, you are confined to a
protected patient care unit that is staffed with nurses specially trained to
work with transplant patients.
Transplant
After the therapy has
been completed, healthy bone marrow or stem cells are infused through a central
line catheter, usually within several days. This begins regeneration of healthy
bone marrow and blood cells.
Recovery
It can take two to
four weeks for your immune system to begin to
regenerate. During this time, you are highly susceptible to infection, so close monitoring in the hospital is important.
