Stem cell transplants, also called bone marrow transplants, treat high-risk and life-threatening blood diseases. If you have leukemia, lymphoma or other blood cancer, a stem cell transplant could be the right option for you.
A stem cell transplant does still require you to have chemotherapy and radiation. However, if successful, a stem cell transplant can offer a lot of hope.
Stem Cell Transplant at UVA
Our excellent outcomes and experience have been recognized in several ways:
- Federation for Accreditation of Cell Therapy (FACT), the highest level of accreditation possible
- National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)/ Be The Match registry approval
- Many insurance companies deem us a Center of Excellence
Offering Treatment for Blood Cancer
For patients with life-threatening blood diseases, a stem cell transplant replaces the diseased blood cells with healthy ones. View stem cell transcript.
Stem cells live in two places in your body: in your bone marrow and in certain parts of your blood. These stem cells create new blood cells.
Blood cancer like leukemia happens when stem cells stop creating normal blood cells. A stem cell transplant replaces diseased cells with healthy ones.
How Long Does a Stem Cell Transplant Take to Work?
It may take several weeks for the donor stem cells in the bone marrow to begin to function.
If successful, the new stem cells will produce healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
Where Do You Get Healthy Stem Cells?
We can transplant stem cells from:
- Your own bone marrow or blood that was stored
- A donor's bone marrow or blood
What are the Types of Stem Cell Transplants?
- Autologous stem cell transplant (uses cells from your own body, usually collected from the blood)
- Allogeneic or donor stem cell transplants (in 2018, almost everyone has a donor)
- Matched related donor, usually a brother or a sister
- Matched unrelated donor (there are over 25 million volunteer donors in the Be The Match registry)
- Umbilical cord blood (stem cells donated from a newborn baby that have been frozen)
- Haploidentical transplant, from a family member who is not a perfect match
How Do You Become a Stem Cell Donor?
If you're the relative of someone in need of stem cells, fill out the Prospective Donor Intake Form. Other potential donors should contact Be The Match for information on joining the registry for stem cell donation.
