Bone marrow transplant (BMT) is a therapy for patients with certain cancers
or other diseases. Our body has a special material called bone marrow
inside our bones. This spongy material makes all types of blood cells,
including young blood cells called stem cells. Sometimes, the bone marrow
gets sick or does not work properly. That’s when your doctors may
recommend a bone marrow transplantation to help. If you and your doctor
determine that your treatment plan should include BMT, this specialized
care is available at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center in Oklahoma City.
Nationally Recognized Stem Cell & Transplant Care
At Stephenson Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer
Center, you’ll work with nationally known physicians in Oklahoma’s
only cellular therapy
and comprehensive stem cell program accredited by the
Foundation for the Accreditation
of Cellular Therapy (FACTS) to serve people of all ages. You benefit from the many years of
experience held by the cancer centers stem cell transplant specialists
who perform more than 100 stem cell transplants each year and have completed
thousands of transplants since the program began in 1982.
About Stem Cells and Bone Marrow
Stem cells are special cells that can become different types of cells based
on what your body needs. They are found in various parts of your body,
including your bone marrow. Bone marrow has hematopoietic stem cells that
make all the different kinds of blood cells. These young stem cells can
turn into:
If your bone marrow can’t produce new blood cells, it can lead to
serious health problems. Bone marrow transplants can be an effective treatment
for these conditions.
Types of Stem Cell Transplants
The first step in a stem cell transplant is to collect healthy bone marrow,
either from the patient or a donor. This is done under general anesthesia
using a large needle to extract bone marrow from the pelvis. The collected
bone marrow is then frozen and stored.
When it’s time for the transplant, the bone marrow is thawed and
injected into the patient, similar to a blood transfusion. The healthy
stem cells will travel to the bone marrow and start producing blood cells.
There are two types of stem cell transplants:
Autologous Stem Cell Transplant
In an autologous stem cell or bone marrow transplant, healthy cells are
harvested from the bone marrow of a patient. The harvested bone marrow
is frozen and stored until it is ready for use. In the meantime, the patient
undergoes a 'conditioning regimen' to prepare their body for the transplant.
In this regimen, they may receive high dose chemotherapy r radiation therapy.
These treatments destroy cancer cells, but they also kill bone marrow
cells. This is where the transplant comes in. The patient is injected
with their own stored blood stem cells. These cells 'take' to the body
and restore its ability to produce blood cells.
Autologous transplantation is most often used to treat diseases like lymphoma and
multiple myeloma. Because autologous transplants use the cells of a patient, they have
little to no risk of rejection or
graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). This makes it safer than allogeneic transplants.
Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant
An allogeneic bone marrow or stem cell transplant uses donor stem cells
to treat blood cancers that affect the bone marrow, like leukemia. The
cell transplants come from a donor whose tissue most closely matches that
of the patient. The donor cells are injected after the patient has undergone
chemotherapy. But beyond restoring the blood-producing ability of the
body, allogeneic stem cell transplantation can help fight cancer directly.
The donated cells generate a new immune response, meaning they find and
kill cancer cells, sometimes better than the original immune cells of
the patient. This is called the graft-versus-cancer effect, and it can
help fight cancer. Unfortunately, allogeneic stem cells come with an increased
risk of rejection or GVHD.
Comprehensive Bone Marrow Transplant Services & Treatments
As a National Marrow Donor Program-designated transplant and donor collection center,
Stephenson Cancer Center sources stem cells for your treatment options could include autologous
(your own) and allogeneic (donor) transplants from peripheral blood, bone
marrow or umbilical cord blood from related and unrelated donors.
Many types of cancer respond to treatment with transplant approaches such
as blood, bone marrow, cellular therapy or stem cell therapy. During a
bone marrow transplant, doctors take healthy stem cells from a person’s bone marrow or
sometimes from another person. They filter these cells and then give them
back to the person who needs them. The goal is to replace the sick bone
marrow with healthy bone marrow so that the body can make healthy blood
cells again.
Cellular therapies may offer an excellent choice for your treatment because they allow you
to receive additional doses of chemotherapy or radiation without putting
too much strain on your body, giving you another way to treat the type
of cancer you face, including
leukemia or
lymphoma.
At Stephenson Cancer Center, you’ll work with a wide array of services
and health professionals related to cellular transplant, including:
Multidisciplinary malignant hematology tumor board for comprehensive oversight,
review and monitoring of every aspect of your specific situation and options
for treatment
Dedicated malignant hematology physicians, specialists and specially trained nurses
Oklahoma’s only hematology nurse navigator to guide you through all
phases of your therapeutic journey
Request an Appointment
Discover how a bone marrow transplant may benefit your unique condition.
When you work with the cellular therapy specialists at Stephenson Cancer
Center, you can ask about eligibility to participate in a wide range of
clinical trials and take advantage of results as part of our membership in the National
Cancer Institute’s National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN), along
with innovative research producing the latest cancer treatment options.
To continually bring you proven, safe, effective treatments and the best
care available, experts at Stephenson Cancer Center help develop the latest
trusted transplant and cellular therapies by collaborating on research
and clinical trials with many accredited and certified regional, national
and international organizations, including:
As part of your cancer journey at Stephenson Cancer Center, you can rely
on your care team members to connect you with medical professionals and
information to help you better understand your diagnosis and treatment
options. You benefit from the significant resources and extensive expertise
available for your care, as well as the ongoing support of team members
dedicated to guiding you through the challenges of your situation such as:
Choosing Stephenson Cancer Center means you benefit from expertise you
won’t find at other cancer centers in the state or region. You’ll
work with experienced physicians who hold significant training in malignant
hematology, transplant and cellular therapy. You also benefit from an
onsite expert hematopathologist for quick evaluation of test results,
specially trained nurses devoted to your care and a wide range of health
professionals from multiple disciplines who apply their knowledge to your
individual condition and dedicated to your care.
Hematology & OncologyOklahoma City, OK
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