Stem Cell Transplantation
Why Stem Cell Transplantation?
Hematopoietic stem cells are the precursors of all blood cells. They develop into red blood cells, which carry oxygen, white blood cells, which fight disease and infection, and platelets, which aid in blood clotting.
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the treatment of choice for a large number of diseases of the immune and blood forming systems, including acute and chronic leukemia, lymphomas, immunologic and hematologic disorders, like severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome, and bone marrow failure syndromes, such as severe aplastic anemia.
Stem cell transplantation has also been used to successfully treat a variety of childhood solid tumors, including neuroblastoma, Wilms' tumors, and certain testicular and ovarian malignancies.
Types of Transplantation
Stem cells can be collected from peripheral blood, bone marrow or umbilical cord blood.
Transplantation of healthy stem cells from another individual can be used to help restore normal blood production in patients whose own ability to make any or all of these blood cells has been compromised by cancer or has otherwise been damaged or become abnormal. The use of stem cells from another individual is referred to as allogeneic transplantation.
Stem cells collected from patients themselves prior to intensive treatment can be used to aid the recovery of the patient's bone marrow cells after particularly aggressive courses of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Use of a patient's own stem cells is referred to as autologous transplantation. The type of stem cell transplant, allogeneic or autologous, is determined by the disease and availability of an appropriate matched donor.
