Reasons for Blood and Marrow Transplant
Blood & Marrow Transplant

Physicians refer patients to the Sutter Blood and Marrow Transplant Program to treat a number of conditions. The aim of blood and marrow transplants is to offer a prolonged remission or a cure.

There are several reasons a doctor may feel a blood and marrow transplant would improve a patient’s condition. A blood and marrow transplant:

• Allows patients to receive very high doses of chemotherapy
• Replaces deficient bone marrow, for example, in patients with aplastic anemia
• Provides patients with a new immune system to help fight the cancer, the so-called graft-versus-tumor effect

Stem cells are the precursors, i.e., the “mothers and fathers” of all the blood cells in our blood stream. They have the ability to divide and multiply, and to mature into the following blood cells:

• Red cells, which provide and carry oxygen
• White blood cells, which fight infections
• Platelets, which help in blood clotting

Stem cells reside in the bone marrow, but can be moved to the blood stream by a medical technique called “mobilization.” During mobilization, doctors use blood hormones known as “growth factors” with or without chemotherapy to stimulate the body to produce more stem cells and move them into the bloodstream.

A source of information on current treatments and clinical trials can be found at the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Services. You can also find information and publications on treatments, patient care, and support groups at the American Cancer Society.