Autologous Stem Cell Transplant

Overview

Stem cell transplant is also known as a bone marrow transplant. It is a procedure done by replacing the destroyed and damaged stem cells with new healthy stem cells. Stem cells are blood-producing cells that produces red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. There are mainly two types of stem cell which is the autologous stem cell transplant and allogeneic stem cell transplant. An autologous stem cell transplant is when the patient's own healthy stem cells are used for transplantation. Healthy stem cells are collected from the patient's own bloodstream or bone marrow. They are then frozen and stored for later use. Autologous stem cell transplantation is often done to treat blood malignancies such as leukemias, lymphomas, myelomas and plasma cell disorders. Before autologous stem cell transplantation is done, patients are given high doses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy to destroy the cancer cells. This autologous transplant reduces the risk of graft versus host disease.