Whats involved in a blood stem cell transplant?
When you have a blood stem cell transplant, doctors replace your diseased bone marrow with healthy new blood stem cells from either a family member or, when no family member is a suitable donor, from a volunteer bone marrow or peripheral (circulating) blood stem cell donor or umbilical cord blood unit that has already been collected and stored for use. Here’s a brief overview of what happens: • You are given chemotherapy and/or radiation to kill diseased cells. • You receive the new, healthy blood stem cells through a vein. This process is similar to a blood transfusion. • The transplanted cells begin to grow and produce healthy red and white blood cells and platelets. The process of growing new blood cells takes three to four weeks.
