![]() If you will be using a donor, you should meet with your transplant team early on so they can identify a matching donor as soon as possible. If your care team thinks a stem cell transplant may work for you, you will work with a new team-a transplant team-to coordinate the treatment and finding a donor. However, new methods of doing SCT now allow some older patients to get a SCT. ![]() Previously, patients needed to be under age 65 to qualify for a SCT. Not all patients are good candidates for transplant. This type of SCT is a good option for those patients who, due to age or other medical conditions, may not be able to tolerate an allo SCT with higher-intensity chemotherapy.Reduced-intensity SCT is used to treat some leukemias (such as CLL, CML, and AML) as well as in non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Much of the benefit of this kind of SCT comes from the GVT effect – the donor’s stem cells attacking your cancer cells. This type of transplant is a modified version of allogeneic transplant, where the cells come from a donor and the chemotherapy or radiation is given at a lower dose. Reduced-intensity Stem Cell Transplant (Also known as Non-Myeloablative Allo SCT or a “Mini-Transplant”) Be sure you talk to your health care team about the procedure and understand its potential side effects. Because allogenic stem cell transplants can have life-threatening side effects, they are not for everyone. To control this, you may be given drugs that suppress the immune system. GVHD can become disabling or even life threatening. Symptoms of GVHD include severe skin rashes, itching, mouth sores (which can affect eating), nausea, severe diarrhea, fatigue, muscle aches, jaundice, and lung damage. This happens when the cells from the donor immune system attack your body tissues. Side Effects of an Allo SCTĪ serious side effect of allo SCT is called “graft-versus-host-disease” (GVHD). When this happens, an allogenic stem cell transplant can sometimes offer a cure, because the incoming stem cells find the small amounts of remaining cancer cells and kill them. This is called “graft-versus-tumor” (GVT) effect. An allo transplant can help treat cancer because the donor cells recognize your cancer as something foreign, and will attack any remaining cancer cells in your body. Stem cells can also be donated by matched, unrelated donors. The closest matches are usually relatives, such as a brother or sister. ![]() For the fewest side effects, a donor should “match” as closely as possible to your own tissue type. You get chemotherapy (and sometimes radiation) to make room for the donor stem cells. Allo SCT is most often used to treat leukemias (such as ALL, AML and CML), myelodysplastic syndromes and myleoproliferative neoplasms. If the stem cells come from a donor, it is called an allogeneic (or “allo”) stem cell transplant. Allogenic Stem Cell Transplant (‘Allo’ SCT) So there is a risk of returning cancer cells to the patient during the stem cell transplant. One problem, however, is that it is hard to separate healthy stem cells from cancerous ones in the patient’s blood or bone marrow sample. The risk of serious complications is low with autologous transplants. The stem cell transplant replaces your blood-forming cells that are killed off by the high dose chemo. The main benefit of an autologous stem cell transplant is that it allows for higher doses of chemotherapy (and sometimes radiation) to kill cancer than would otherwise be safe to give. The cells can then be returned into your blood after treatment. Often, your stored stem cells will be treated to try to remove any remaining cancer cells. Auto SCT is most often used to treat lymphomas and myeloma. In an autologous (or “auto”) stem cell transplant, your own cells are removed and stored while you get high dose chemo. ![]() Autologous Stem Cell Transplant (“Auto” SCT) An allogeneic (“allo”) stem cell transplant uses stem cells of a donor. A stem cell transplant that uses a patient’s own stem cells that were collected before treatment is called an autologous (or “auto”) stem cell transplant. There are two major types of stem cell transplant. But stem cell transplants are now much more common than bone marrow transplants.)Ī stem cell transplant is an infusion of blood-forming cells, not a surgery. (When the stem cells come from the bone marrow of the donor, it is called a bone marrow transplant. The healthy stem cells may come from the blood of the patient, from a donor, or from the umbilical cord blood of a newborn baby. In a stem cell transplant (SCT), patients get an infusion of healthy blood-forming cells (stem cells). Stem cell transplant (SCT) is used as a treatment in for several kinds of cancer, including:
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |