7 Phases of the Transplant Process

Transplants have about seven phases:

1. Determining if you are a bone marrow or stem cell transplant candidate
2. Deciding the treatment that's best for you
3. Selecting a transplant center
4. Preparing for your transplant
5. Doing your transplant
6. Recovering from chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment
7. Maintaining your health post-transplant

(Click on a phase above to jump to that phase)

1. Determining if you are a bone marrow or stem cell transplant candidate.

There are now millions of people in the U.S. who have diseases or disorders that are treatable with BMTs or PBSCTs. The National Marrow Donor Program lists over 70 diseases and disorders.

You can click on the TX by Disease navigation button in the left column and review a list of over 70 diseases for which bone marrow transplants and stem cell transplants have been performed.

Here are four Web sites you can visit to learn if you’re disease makes you a bone marrow transplant or stem cell transplant candidate:

National Marrow Donor Program
www.marrow.org

National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Database
www.health.nih.gov

Mayo Clinic
www.mayoclinic.org/bone-marrow-transplant/diseases.html

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration
www.hrsa.gov/osp/dot/treat.htm

The National Health Information Center has a very good page Questions and Answers page on their site. Go to http://cis.nci.nih.gov/fact/7_41.htm.

You can also try typing the name of your disease or disorder and the word association in the search box of your browser (i.e. anemia + association). Many disease-specific associations and organizations can tell you if transplants are being used as a treatment option.

Age is almost never a factor in bone marrow or stem cell transplantation. Transplants are preformed on kids and senior citizens alike.

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2. Deciding the treatment that’s best for you.

Your doctor will decide whether you should enter a clinical trial or if an individualized treatment plan is best.

If at all possible, visit a doctor who specializes in your disease. You can search for doctors by specialty at People Living with Cancer (www.peoplelivingwithcancer.org) and the American Medical Association (www.dbapps.ama-assn.org).

Want to do some investigative work?
You can go to www.cancerfacts.com and use the NexCura NexProfiler Treatment tool. It's free. Click on the Understanding Cancer Treatments button above.

The Bone Marrow Foundation (www.bonemarrow.org) has an Ask the Expert feature on their Web site. You can privately e-mail your transplant questions to a medical professional.

You can also do some research at the National Institutes of Health site (www.health.nih.gov). You can search the Clinical Trials database.

The National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov) has a guide entitled How to Find a Cancer Treatment Trial. It’s free and can be read online or downloaded for printing.

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3. Selecting a transplant center.

There are over 200 centers in the country that do bone marrow and stem cell transplants. Some specialize in specific diseases, like the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy.

You can go to the National Marrow Donor Program’s site (www.marrow.org) and review profiles of every center in the country.

BMTInfonet (www.bmtinfonet.org) offers visitors an online Transplant Center Search form.

The Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups (www.cancertrialshelp.org) is another excellent resource. They have TrialCheck®, a cancer clinical trials search engine to assist in finding trials right for you.

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4. Preparing for your transplant.

There are a number of steps you will take to prepare for your transplant. These steps include:

• Getting your central line (catheter) if you don’t already have one
• Doing pre-conditioning chemotherapy and or radiation
• Receiving shots of G-CSF (a drug to stimulate stem cell proliferation) if you’re doing an autologous transplant
• Having your bone marrow harvested or stem cells collected (again, if you’re doing an auto transplant).
• Oncolink (www.oncolink.com/coping) offers “A wealth of knowledge to help patients deal with the side effects of cancer treatment such as nausea, vomiting, fatigue, infection, and pain.”
• Go to the American Cancer Society’s home page (www.cancer.org) and click on the word Coping. Then click on Preparing for Treatment.
• The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (www.leukemia-lymphoma.org) has a booklet entitled Understanding Drug Therapy and Managing Side Effects. This free publication can be mailed or read online.

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5. Doing your transplant.

Transplants themselves are easy as pie. With a bone marrow transplant, the marrow is pushed into your central line over a matter of minutes. Stem transplants are done by letting the cells drip into your central line. No muss. No fuss.

Many Autologous BMTs and PBSCTs are being done on an outpatient basis.

Want to talk to someone who has your disease and has done a transplant? Go to the Cancer Survivors Network (www.acscsn.org) or the Association of Cancer Online Resources (www.acor.org) and you can do just that.

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6. Recovering from chemotherapy and/or radiation treatments.

You’ll be at the greatest risk for infection while your immune system is depressed from the chemo or radiation or both. This period usually lasts several weeks.

The National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov) has a free publication Chemotherapy and You: A Guide to Self-Help During Cancer Treatment. You’ll learn what to expect and how to deal with side effects and complications. It even covers nutrition.

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7. Maintaining your health post-transplant.

Your transplant center will give you a detailed set of instructions when you are discharged. Follow them to the letter.

You can get additional information from the Cancer Research Institute (www.cancerresearch.org). Their book, What to do if Cancer Strikes, has a chapter on Taking Charge of the Future.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (www.nccn.org) has a number of free Patient Guidelines. Go to their site and click on Patient Guidelines. Scroll down to the Supportive Care section. Select the Fever and Neutropenia guide.

You can download in PDF or order a printed copy sent by mail.

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