(See also Overview of Transplantation.)
Stem cells are unspecialized cells from which other more specialized cells can be derived. Stem cells may be obtained from
Blood is preferred to bone marrow as a source because the procedure is less invasive and the number (count) of blood cells returns to normal more quickly. Stem cells from umbilical cords are usually used only in children because umbilical cord blood does not contain enough stem cells to use in adults.
Stem cell transplantation can be used as part of the treatment for blood disorders such as leukemia, certain types of lymphoma (including Hodgkin lymphoma), aplastic anemia, thalassemia, sickle cell disease, and some congenital metabolic or immunodeficiency disorders (such as chronic granulomatous disease).
Stem cell transplants may also be given to people who have been treated with high doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy for certain cancers. Such treatments destroy bone marrow, which produces stem cells. Occasionally, stem cell transplants can be used to replace bone marrow cells that are destroyed during treatment of cancers in organs, such as breast cancer or neuroblastoma (a common childhood cancer that develops from nerve tissue). Doctors are studying how to use stem cell transplantation to treat some autoimmune disorders, such as multiple sclerosis.
About 30 to 40% of people who had lymphoma and 20 to 50% of those who had leukemia are cancer-free after treatments, including stem cell transplantation. The procedure prolongs life in people with multiple myeloma. It is less effective for breast cancer.
Procedure
Stem cells may be
If people with cancer are being given their own stem cells, the cells are collected before chemotherapy or radiation therapy, which can damage stem cells. The cells are injected back into the body after the treatment.
If the stem cells come from a donor, the recipient is given drugs to suppress the immune system (immunosuppressants) before stem cells are transplanted.
From blood
Stem cells from adults can be obtained from blood during an outpatient procedure. First, a few days before stem cells are obtained, the donor is given drugs that cause the bone marrow to release more stem cells into the bloodstream (called colony-stimulating factors). Then blood is removed through a catheter inserted in one arm and is circulated through a machine that removes stem cells. The rest of the blood is returned to the person through a catheter inserted in the other arm. Usually, about six 2- to 4-hour sessions over a period of several days are needed, until enough stem cells are obtained. Stem cells can be preserved for later use by freezing them.
From bone marrow
To recipient
After the stem cell transplantation
Complications
Infections
Stem cell transplantation is risky because the recipient’s white blood cells have been destroyed or reduced in number by chemotherapy or radiation therapy. As a result, the risk of infection is very high for about 2 to 3 weeks—until the donated stem cells can produce enough white blood cells to protect against infections.
The risk of infection can be reduced by keeping the recipient in isolation for a period of time (until the transplanted cells begin to produce white blood cells). During this time, everyone entering the room must wear masks and gowns and wash their hands thoroughly.
The recipient is given
Graft-versus-host disease
The new bone marrow obtained from another person may produce cells that attack the recipient’s cells, causing graft-versus-host disease. This disease causes death in about 20 to 40% of people who develop it.
So if the bone marrow came from another person, recipients are given immunosuppressants to prevent graft-versus-host disease and rejection.
