What is a bone marrow or stem cell transplant?
ACS Answer Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is sometimes used to treat cancer and other diseases. As part of this procedure, a person first is given high doses of chemotherapy or radiation to destroy cancer cells. However, these treatments also destroy the bone marrow – the spongy matter inside bones that makes white and red blood cells, platelets, and stem cells (immature blood cells). As a result, bone marrow (or the blood-producing stem cells) must be replaced either with the person’s own cells or with someone else’s cells. You might want to ask your doctor or cancer care team if this is a treatment option for your type of cancer. Researchers are currently studying bone marrow transplants and peripheral blood stem cell transplants as treatments for breast cancer, ovarian cancer, malignant melanomas, certain rare cancers in children, soft tissue sarcomas, and other cancers. Your doctor or cancer care team should be able to tell you more about clinical trials using these therapies. W
