Who is a candidate for a bone marrow transplant?
The decision to prescribe a bone marrow transplant is always made on an individual basis. Your doctor will consider your age, general physical condition, diagnosis, and stage of the disease. Your doctor will also make sure you understand the potential benefits and risks of the transplant procedure. Where does the transplanted bone marrow come from? Bone marrow given during a transplant either comes from yourself (autologous) or from a donor whose bone marrow matches your (allogeneic). Autologous bone marrow transplants An autologous bone marrow transplant involves harvesting your own bone marrow, preserving and storing it in frozen form, and later, after high-dose chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, infusing it back into your body. Autologous bone marrow transplants are possible if the disease affecting the bone marrow is in remission, or if the condition being treated doesn’t involve the bone marrow (as in breast cancer). Allogeneic bone marrow transplants An allogeneic bone marrow
