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.) |