Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Treatment | Simon …

Bone marrow and stem cell transplants are treatments for relatively rare cancers of the blood that generally require aggressive treatment. These transplants give you new marrow in a process similar to a blood transfusion.

Bone marrow is a liquid tissue, found inside bones, that produces blood cells. Stem cells are immature blood-producing cells found mostly in marrow. The blood cells they produce include oxygen-carrying red blood cells, infection-fighting white blood cells, and platelets, which enable blood to clot.

Bone marrow transplantation has been used as therapy for several potentially fatal blood disorders since 1968. Physicians at Indiana University Health Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center use bone marrow transplant to treat patients with:

Autologous transplant uses your own stem cells. We use this method for:

Allogeneic transplant uses stem cells from a donor. We use this method for:

The bone marrow and stem cell transplant team provides care for both adults and children. Over the past ten years, we have treated more than 1400 cases of multiple myeloma (a cancer of the marrow that also attacks the surrounding bone). We are experts in diagnosis of bone marrow-related cancers and in the use of bone marrow and stem cell transplants.

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In preparation for bone marrow transplant, we use chemotherapy alone, or a combination of chemotherapy with high doses of radiation, to destroy cancerous cells. Unfortunately, these methods also destroy healthy cells, including those in the bone marrow, which may cause side effects. Side effects often get better or go away after chemotherapy is over.

Once it is determined that this preparatory treatment is complete, new stem cells are transplanted in the bones. These stem cells mature into healthy marrow, which again produces healthy blood cells.

Stem cells used in the bone marrow transplant procedure typically come from one of two sources: your own marrow (autologous) and a donors marrow (allogeneic).

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Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Treatment | Simon ...