A stem cell transplant is usually done
after chemotherapy and radiation is complete
. The stem cells are delivered into your bloodstream, usually through a tube called a central venous catheter. The process is similar to getting a blood transfusion. The stem cells travel through the blood into the bone marrow.
What happens when you have a bone marrow transplant?
A bone marrow transplant takes
a donor’s healthy blood-forming cells and puts them into the patient’s bloodstream
, where they begin to grow and make healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Patients receive high doses of chemotherapy to prepare their body for the transplant.
What is a bone marrow transplant and why would a patient need this?
The goal of a bone marrow transplant is
to cure many diseases and types of cancer
. When the doses of chemotherapy or radiation needed to cure a cancer are so high that a person’s bone marrow stem cells will be permanently damaged or destroyed by the treatment, a bone marrow transplant may be needed.
Is a bone marrow transplant serious?
A bone marrow transplant has
serious risks
. Some patients suffer from life-threatening problems as a result of their transplant. These problems can include serious infections and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) , in which the transplanted cells attack the patient’s body.
How long does bone marrow transplant take?
The procedure takes
1 or 2 hours
. You can go home that day or the next morning. You might feel sore and weak for a few days. They can also take cells directly from your blood with a procedure called apheresis.
What is the longest someone has lived after a bone marrow transplant?
The recipient of a bone marrow transplant in 1963,
Nancy King McLain
is one of the world’s longest living bone marrow transplant survivors.
Can you live a normal life after a bone marrow transplant?
However, among 12 patients transplanted while in remission or at an early stage of their disease, 5 are surviving
65 to 1,160 days
after transplantation, with an actuarial survival rate of 22% at 3 years.
What percentage of bone marrow transplants are successful?
How long can you live after a bone marrow transplant? Understandably, transplants for patients with nonmalignant diseases have a much better success rate with
70% to 90 % survival with a matched sibling donor
and 36% to 65% with unrelated donors.
What is the cut off age for a bone marrow transplant?
People who meet certain criteria may be considered for bone marrow transplant. At Mayo Clinic, doctors will consider selected patients
over 65 years of age
, depending on their overall physical health.
What happens if you don’t get a bone marrow transplant?
Failure of the graft
(transplant) taking hold in the marrow is a potential complication. Graft failure may happen as a result of infection, recurrent disease, or if the stem cell count of the donated marrow was insufficient to cause engraftment. Graft-versus-host disease.
How painful is a bone marrow transplant?
During the procedure,
the patient does not have much pain
. A small incision is made, through which a wide bore needle is inserted into the bone marrow and stem cells are collected in syringes. The donor may experience pain after the anesthesia wears off. Painkillers may be needed for next few days.
How expensive is bone marrow transplant?
Bone marrow transplantation is one of the most expensive cancer treatments, costing
an average of $193,000 per patient
; therefore, many economic studies have focused on the costs of the therapy.
What are the long term side effects of a bone marrow transplant?
- Infertility, meaning you cannot become pregnant or make a woman pregnant when you want to.
- Cataracts, an eye condition that causes cloudy vision.
- Sexual side effects and early menopause.
- Thyroid problems.
- Lung or bone damage.
- Another cancer.
How long after stem cell transplant will I feel better?
It usually takes
3 to 12 months
for your immune system to recover from your transplant. The first year after transplant is like your first year of life as a newborn baby. During this time, you’re at risk for infection. Your transplant team will check your blood cell counts to see how well your immune system is working.
Which is better stem cell or bone marrow transplant?
it’s
easier to collect stem cells from the bloodstream than bone marrow
. your treatment team can usually collect more cells from the bloodstream. blood counts tend to recover quicker following a stem cell transplant.
How long after a bone marrow transplant can you go back to work?
Doctors usually suggest allogeneic transplant recipients wait
at least 1 year after transplant
to go back to work until. That’s because takes 9 to 12 months for your immune system to recover. Some people may get their doctor’s okay to go back to work sooner.
