Transplant Information
A Bone Marrow Transplant may involve administering Chemotherapy alone or in combination with Total Body Irradiation in attempts to rid the body of disease. The process involves destroying a person's bone marrow, including their immune system. Healthy bone marrow from the patient or a donor is then infused into the patient.
Sometimes the general term of Bone Marrow Transplant is also used to describe Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant or simply Stem Cell Transplant. The difference between the two is the origin of the replacement cells and the method of collection.
Bone Marrow is collected in the hospital under general anesthesia. It is a liquid that resembles blood and is taken from the center of large bones, generally the hipbone, using a large needle and syringe. The entire process can take up to 6 hours. In a Stem Cell collection, stem cells, which are the most immature cells in the bone marrow, can also be found in the peripheral blood, that is the blood in your veins. This procedure is performed in the outpatient clinic. It is similar to giving blood however only stem cells are removed via a pheresis machine and the remaining blood components are returned to your vein. It takes approximately 3-4 hours. It is a painless procedure and there is no anesthesia involved however, the collection process may occur over a period of 2-5 days.
Receiving the transplant is similar to receiving a blood transfusion. The healthy cells seek their place in the bone marrow and begin to make a new population of healthy blood cells.
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