Who Needs a Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplant?

You may need a blood and marrow stem cell transplant if you have a disease or condition that prevents your body from making enough healthy blood cells.

These diseases and conditions include:

• Some types of cancer, such as leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and breast cancer
• Severe blood diseases, such as thalassemia, aplastic anemia, and sickle cell anemia
• Immune-deficiency diseases, such as severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome, congenital neutropenia (NU-tro-PE-ne-ah), and chronic granulomatous (gran-yu-LOM-a-tus) disease

Your primary care doctor and an oncologist or hematologist will determine whether you need a stem cell transplant. An oncologist specializes in treating cancer. A hematologist specializes in blood diseases and conditions.

When deciding whether you need a stem cell transplant, your doctors will consider:

• The type of disease you have and how severe it is
• Your age and overall health
• Other possible treatment options

Your doctors also will order tests to make sure you're healthy enough to have the procedure. They also want to find out whether you have any medical problems that could cause complications after the transplant. (See "What To Expect Before a Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplant" for more information.)