Stem Cell Transplantation

Stem cell transplantation, often referred to as hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) or bone marrow transplantation, is a sophisticated medical procedure used to treat patients whose bone marrow or immune system is damaged or destroyed by disease, chemotherapy, or radiation. The goal of the transplant is to infuse healthy stem cells into a patient’s body so they can produce new blood cells and rebuild a functioning immune system.

Stem cells are immature blood-forming cells that reside in the bone marrow and can develop into the body’s three major types of blood cells: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. A stem cell transplant is commonly used in the treatment of blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. It is also used in non-cancerous conditions such as aplastic anemia, severe immunodeficiencies, and inherited blood disorders like thalassemia.

There are two main types of stem cell transplantation:

Autologous Transplantation: Using the patient’s own stem cells.

Allogeneic Transplantation: Using stem cells from a donor, often a sibling, matched unrelated donor, or umbilical cord blood.

With the advancement of medical research, reduced-intensity conditioning regimens, better donor registries, and effective post-transplant care, stem cell transplantation is now safer and more accessible than ever before.

SCT is not a preventive or first-line therapy, but a therapeutic intervention reserved for patients with certain high-risk, refractory, or relapsed hematologic and immunologic conditions. The “causes” for undergoing SCT are, therefore, the underlying diseases that destroy or disrupt the normal bone marrow function.

Acute Leukemias (AML, ALL) – rapidly progressing blood cancers that often relapse post-chemotherapy.