Always follow the advice of your care team.
Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant
Types of Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant
There are two main types of allogeneic transplants. Your transplant physician will decide which should be used for your transplant.
Why is Stem Cell Transplant Being Considered for You?
You may need a stem cell transplant when:
Stem Cell Transplant Process
The major phases of allogeneic stem cell transplant are outlined below.
Step 1: Pre-transplant testing: You will have a series of tests and meetings to determine if you are a good candidate for transplant and to discuss the process and side effects.
Step 2: Donor Search: Our experienced Donor Services team will work to find the best possible match for your stem cell transplant. This may be a family member or an unrelated donor who has volunteered to donate stem cells through a donor registry.
Step 3: Conditioning: You will get chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy to prepare your body for your transplant. Conditioning therapy generally takes place over 5-7 days before your stem cell infusion. If you are receiving your transplant in the hospital, you will be admitted to the hospital the day before conditioning treatment starts.
Step 4: Stem cell infusion: You will get your new, healthy stem cells through an infusion in your central line catheter. This usually lasts between 15 minutes to 2 hours. Surgery is not required for a stem cell transplant.
Step 5: Engraftment: Engraftment is when the transplanted cells begin to grow and make healthy red and white blood cells and platelets. From your stem cell infusion until engraftment, you may experience side effects like fevers, nausea, fatigue, and difficulty sleeping. As your stem cells engraft and make healthy new blood cells, you will begin to feel better.
Step 6: Recovery: Recovery from a stem cell transplant takes time, and varies for each patient. For patients who receive their transplant in the hospital, most are ready to leave the hospital 14 to 21 days after their stem cell infusion.
Step 7: Follow-Up: You will have weekly follow-up appointments at Dana-Farber or with your local oncologist for a period of time after your transplant. These visits will become less frequent over time.
Step 8: Survivorship: All stem cell transplant survivors should have follow-up care. For some, this will take place at Dana-Farber; others will receive follow-up care with their local oncologist. Follow-up care will be different for each person, but generally includes specialists’ visits, tests, and screenings to monitor your health and manage potential long-term effects of treatment.
Please refer to the comprehensive guide - Stem Cell Transplantation: An Information Guide for Patients and Caregivers for more information.
There are two main types of allogeneic transplants. Your transplant physician will decide which should be used for your transplant.
- A myeloablative transplant uses large doses of chemotherapy — or a combination of chemotherapy and radiation – to overcome resistance and eradicate the malignancy.
- A reduced-intensity (or “mini” or “RIC”) allogeneic transplant uses a reduced amount of chemotherapy to suppress your immune system enough so that the donor stem cells can take root, or “engraft,” there. While the chemotherapy may kill some of the tumor cells, the goal is to make space in your bone marrow for healthy stem cells. With the amount of cancerous tissue reduced, the transplanted stem cells produce millions of healthy white blood cells, which mount an attack on the remaining cancer cells — a phenomenon known as the graft-versus-leukemia effect.
Why is Stem Cell Transplant Being Considered for You?
You may need a stem cell transplant when:
- Your body cannot make the blood cells it needs because your bone marrow or stem cells have failed.
- Your bone marrow or blood cells are diseased and need to be replaced.
Stem Cell Transplant Process
The major phases of allogeneic stem cell transplant are outlined below.
- Your pre-transplant, follow-up care, and outpatient services will take place at Dana-Farber.
- Patients may receive their stem cell transplant in the hospital or in the outpatient clinic.
- Your physician will decide which approach is best for you based on your disease type, transplant approach, risk factors, and available support.
- If you are admitted to the hospital for your transplant, you will be admitted either to Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) or Dana-Farber’s Inpatient Hospital (located within BWH).
Step 1: Pre-transplant testing: You will have a series of tests and meetings to determine if you are a good candidate for transplant and to discuss the process and side effects.
Step 2: Donor Search: Our experienced Donor Services team will work to find the best possible match for your stem cell transplant. This may be a family member or an unrelated donor who has volunteered to donate stem cells through a donor registry.
Step 3: Conditioning: You will get chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy to prepare your body for your transplant. Conditioning therapy generally takes place over 5-7 days before your stem cell infusion. If you are receiving your transplant in the hospital, you will be admitted to the hospital the day before conditioning treatment starts.
Step 4: Stem cell infusion: You will get your new, healthy stem cells through an infusion in your central line catheter. This usually lasts between 15 minutes to 2 hours. Surgery is not required for a stem cell transplant.
Step 5: Engraftment: Engraftment is when the transplanted cells begin to grow and make healthy red and white blood cells and platelets. From your stem cell infusion until engraftment, you may experience side effects like fevers, nausea, fatigue, and difficulty sleeping. As your stem cells engraft and make healthy new blood cells, you will begin to feel better.
Step 6: Recovery: Recovery from a stem cell transplant takes time, and varies for each patient. For patients who receive their transplant in the hospital, most are ready to leave the hospital 14 to 21 days after their stem cell infusion.
Step 7: Follow-Up: You will have weekly follow-up appointments at Dana-Farber or with your local oncologist for a period of time after your transplant. These visits will become less frequent over time.
Step 8: Survivorship: All stem cell transplant survivors should have follow-up care. For some, this will take place at Dana-Farber; others will receive follow-up care with their local oncologist. Follow-up care will be different for each person, but generally includes specialists’ visits, tests, and screenings to monitor your health and manage potential long-term effects of treatment.
Please refer to the comprehensive guide - Stem Cell Transplantation: An Information Guide for Patients and Caregivers for more information.