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Key Points
- A blood and marrow stem cell transplant replaces
a person's abnormal or faulty stem cells with healthy stem cells from another
person (a donor).
- Stem cells are found in bone marrowa
sponge-like tissue inside the bones. Stem cells develop into red blood cells,
white blood cells, and platelets.
- Doctors use stem cell transplants to treat people
whose bone marrow can't make enough healthy blood cells. These people may have
certain types of cancer, severe blood diseases, or immune-deficiency diseases.
- In an autologous stem cell transplant, a person's
own stem cells are collected and stored for use later on. In an allogenic stem
cell transplant, a person gets stem cells from another person.
- To determine whether you need a stem cell
transplant, your doctors will consider the type of disease you have and how
serious it is, your age and overall health, and other treatment options.
- People having transplants are matched with donors
through HLA tissue typing. A close match can improve the chances of a
successful transplant. People who provide their own stem cells for use later
don't need HLA matching.
- You also need other types of tests prior to the
transplant to make sure you're healthy enough to have the procedure.
- To prepare your body for the transplant, doctors
give high doses of chemotherapy and possibly radiation. This is done to destroy
the stem cells in your bone marrow that aren't working properly and to suppress
your body's immune system.
- During the transplant, you will get donated stem
cells in a procedure that's like a
blood
transfusion. Once the new stem cells are in your body, they travel to your
bone marrow and begin making new blood cells.
- You will need to stay in the hospital for weeks
or months after the transplantuntil your immune system recovers and
doctors can be sure that the transplant was successful. During your time in the
hospital, your doctors and nurses will pay special attention to side effects of
the pretransplant chemotherapy and radiation. They also will watch for
infection, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and graft failure.
- It takes 6 to 12 months to recover normal blood
cell levels and immune function after a stem cell transplant. During this time,
it's important to reduce your risk of infection, get plenty of rest, and follow
your doctors' instructions about medicines and checkups.
- Bone marrow transplantation has serious risks and
can have life-threatening complications. For some, however, a stem cell
transplant is the best hope for a cure or a longer life.
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What Are the Risks
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