Bone Marrow Transplant

Conditions and Treatments

A bone marrow transplant (BMT), also called a stem cell transplant, is a procedure in which diseased or damaged bone marrow cells are replaced with healthy ones. A BMT is given after a patient has high-dose chemotherapy or radiation for the treatment of a variety of conditions that do not respond to standard doses.

There are two types of transplants:

• Allogeneic Transplant -- The patient receives bone marrow or blood stem cells from a donor who may or may not be a relative.

• Autologous Transplant -- The patient receives his or her own stem cells that were collected and frozen before the high-dose chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

Conditions Treated

A number of blood disorders and cancers are treated with bone marrow or stem cell transplants, including:

• Amyloidosis
• Leukemia
• Lymphoma
• Multiple Myeloma
• Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)
• Myeloproliferative Disorders (MPD)

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated May 8, 2007