What are the different types of bone marrow transplants?
There are different types of bone marrow transplants depending on who the donor is. The different types of bone marrow transplant include the following: • autologous bone marrow transplant The donor is the patient him/herself. Stem cells are taken from the patient either by bone marrow harvest or apheresis (a process of collecting peripheral blood stem cells), frozen, and then given back to the patient after intensive treatment. Often the term “rescue” is used instead of “transplant.” • allogeneic bone marrow transplant The donor shares the same genetic type as the patient. Stem cells are taken either by bone marrow harvest or apheresis from a genetically-matched donor, usually a brother or sister. Other donors for allogeneic bone marrow transplants may include the following: • a parent – a haploid-identical match is when the donor is a parent and the genetic match is at least half identical to the recipient. These transplants are rare. • unrelated bone marrow transplants (UBMT or MUD
