Each four minutes in America, one person is diagnosed as having a blood cancer.
Stem cell transplantationThe procedure replaces the damaged or diseased stem cells cells in the patient’s bone-marrow with healthy ones. This is a common treatment for various blood cancers and disorders. It is one the most significant medical innovations of the last 50 years.
People with blood cancers or disorders should be familiar with the main types of stem cell transplants, autologous and allogeneic. They also need to know what type of transplant is best for them.
“When people hear the words ‘stem cell transplant,’ there is a tendency to think about organizing local bone marrow drives to find a suitable donor if a relative is not a match. However, not everyone who could benefit from a stem cell transplant needs a donor,”Parameswaran Hari MD, MS, Section Head and Direct, Adult Blood and Marrow Transplant Program Program and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Division of Hematology and Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin. “In fact, the majority of stem cell transplants performed in the U.S. are done in patients using their own stem cells. We want to arm potential recipients with the facts so they can have an informed discussion with their physician should the need for a transplant arise.”
Autologous vs. Allogeneic
Both stem cell transplants involve injecting healthy stem cells into patients. However, which type of cancer is being treated depends on the type and severity of the patient’s bone marrow injury, prior chemotherapy treatment, and overall health.
An autologous transplant is when a person receives stem cells from another person. This allows for higher chemotherapy doses to be administered to blood cancers such as multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
A person receives healthy stem cell transplants from a well-matched donor in order to replace any damaged stem cells.
What are stem cells and what is a stem cell transplant?
Hematopoietic stem cells are used to treat blood cancers. They are found in the bone marrow. Once they mature, they can be used to make red blood cells, white cells, or platelets that then move into the blood stream. A hematopoietic cell transplant is when cells are collected from patients or donors who are closely matched. These cells can then be used to replace stem cells that have been damaged by cancer or disease. The stem cells are introduced into the patient’s bloodstream and then return to the bone-marrow. They mature and can be used as a replacement for damaged stem cells.
To determine if a patient is a candidate for stem cell transplantation, and which type of transplant might be best for them, patients should consult their doctors. These procedures can be learned more about by patients and their families at www.stemcelltransplant.org www.bmtinfonet.org.
