Collection of Stem Cells
Blood & Marrow Transplant

In the past, the only way to collect stem cells was by removing bone marrow directly from the donor’s pelvic bone (bone marrow harvesting). While still done in certain situations, doctors today most often collect stem cells from the donor’s blood (peripheral stem cell collection). Recent studies have shown that peripheral blood stem cell collection is preferred over bone marrow harvest for better patient outcomes. This means no surgery for the patient or the donor.

A. Peripheral Stem Cell Collection
Peripheral stem cell collection is a medical procedure done on an outpatient basis. For this procedure, doctors increase the number of stem cells available and move them from the bone marrow into the bloodstream by giving the patient or donor a blood hormone or growth factor called G-CSF (Neupogen). After a few days of daily G-CSF injections, when white blood cell counts are high enough, stems cells are collected through blood donation.

The collection is done using a flexible line to draw blood from the arm. The blood is removed from the patient or donor through a blood separator, which is a centrifuge that separates the stem cells from the rest of the blood cells. The stem cells are then sent to the cryo-preservation laboratory to be tested, processed and frozen for future use. It usually takes one to three days of collection to collect enough stem cells for a transplant.

B. Bone Marrow Harvest
Prior to the procedure, the donor will need to donate two to three units of blood that will be returned to him/her during the harvest procedure. The transplant physician or coordinator will make these arrangements.

When the donor completes testing and donates the blood needed, surgery is scheduled at Sutter General Hospital. While the donor is asleep (under anesthesia), doctors remove bone marrow from the backside of the hipbones by inserting a needle several times into the inner space of the bone and withdrawing the marrow. The stem cells may be processed and given to the recipient the same day or they may be sent to the cryo-preservation laboratory to be tested, processed and frozen for future use. The donor usually spends six hours in the hospital after the procedure and may return to work/school in two to three days.