Apheresis is the process of collecting blood from a donor or patient, separating out desired components and returning the remaining blood to the donor or patient. Sutter Cancer Center, Sacramento's Apheresis Service meets two important needs:

Collecting peripheral stem cells through this technique has virtually replaced bone marrow harvest for transplantation. Stem cell collections for the Blood and Marrow (Stem Cell) Transplant Program are available Monday through Friday.

Removing blood components from a patient as part of a treatment for an illness that causes the body to overproduce that component, i.e, too many white blood cells or platelets in the case of chronic myeloproliferative disorders, or abnormal blood proteins (see below).

Apheresis therapy is used to treat a wide variety of disorders affecting the blood, immune system and nervous system. Conditions treated through apheresis include multiple myeloma, Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (lymphoplasmacytic leukemia), thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), ideopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), myasthenia gravis, and neuropathies such as Guillain-Barré syndrome. The hospital inpatient service is available seven days a week and outpatient procedures are available by appointment.

Located within the Outpatient Infusion Therapy suite at Sutter Cancer Center, Sacramento, the unit is staffed by experienced apheresis nurses and uses state-of-the-art equipment. Each patient station features a TV, video player and telephone.