Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant Program

Stem cell transplantation is an intensive treatment used for some forms of cancer and other blood-related diseases. It's used to restore the hematopoietic or blood-forming cells that have been destroyed by high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation.

We perform autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplants, and provide care coordination for patients and families during all phases of the transplant process.

During an autologous transplant, a patient receives his or her own stem cells. This procedure works well for certain types of cancer, like Hodgkin's disease, but is not an option with a cancer like leukemia, where the malignancy involves the blood cells.

Allogeneic stem cell transplants are used for patients with several types of acute and chronic leukemia, as well as inherited immune system disorders and bone marrow failure disorders such as aplastic anemia. The stem cells in an allogeneic transplant come from a match-related donor.

Once a match has been determined, patients undergo a comprehensive pre-transplant evaluation, including lab work, radiology scans and organ function studies.

Donors undergo a medicine regimen to increase the number of stem cells released into the bloodstream by the bone marrow to prepare them for a process called apheresis. Apheresis is similar to dialysis in that the blood is removed from the donor, run through a machine that targets and collects stem cells, and then the rest of the blood is returned to the donor.

When no suitable related donor is available locally, we work with the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) to secure stem cell products from volunteer donors throughout the world.