Bone marrow transplant

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Bone marrow aspiration

Bone marrow from hip

Bone-marrow transplant - series

Formed elements of blood

Alternatively, blood cell precursors, called stem cells, can be made to move from the bone marrow to the blood stream using special medications. These stem cells can then be taken from the bloodstream through a procedure called leukapheresis.

The patient is prepared for transplant by administering high doses of chemotherapy or radiation (conditioning). This serves 2 purposes. First, it destroys the patient's abnormal blood cells or cancer. Second, it slows the patient's immune response against the donor bone marrow (graft rejection).

Following conditioning, the patient is ready for bone marrow infusion. After infusion, it takes 10 - 20 days for the bone marrow to establish itself. During this time, the patient requires support with blood cell transfusions.

Bone marrow transplant may be recommended for:

• Bone marrow deficiency disease caused by:
  • Abnormal red blood cell production, such as thalassemia or sickle cell disease
  • Aggressive cancer treatments (chemotherapy, radiation therapy), especially for leukemia or lymphoma
  • Lack of normal blood cell production (aplastic anemia)
• Immune system disorders (immunodeficiencies) such as:
  • Congenital neutropenia
  • Severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome
• Specific forms of cancer:
  • Leukemias
  • Lymphomas
  • Myeloma

• Patients with heart, kidney, lungs, or liver disorders
• Patients with other diseases that may limit survival

Review Date: 10/30/2006
Reviewed By: William Matsui, MD, Assistant Professor of Oncology, Division of Hematologic Malignancies, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.