A bone marrow transplant (also called a BMT) or umbilical cord blood transplant replaces diseased blood-forming cells with healthy cells. Diseases that may be treated with a bone marrow or cord blood transplant include:
- Leukemias and lymphomas
- Multiple myeloma and other plasma cell disorders
- Severe aplastic anemia and other marrow failure states
- Sickle cell disease and thalassemia
- Inherited immune system disorders, such as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome
- Inherited metabolic disorders, such as Hurler's syndrome and leukodystrophies
- Myelodysplastic syndromes
The healthy cells for a transplant can come from three sources:
- Bone marrow
- Peripheral (circulating) blood that has an increased number of healthy blood-forming cells (also called peripheral blood stem cells or PBSC)
- Umbilical cord blood that is collected after a baby is born
If you need a transplant, your doctor will choose the source of the cells. Your doctor will also decide whether to use cells collected from you or another person.
- An autologous transplant uses cells collected from your body.
- An allogeneic transplant uses cells donated from a family member or an unrelated marrow donor or umbilical cord blood unit.
Your doctor decides on the cells used for transplant based on your disease, other treatments you have had, and your overall health.
When a bone marrow or cord blood transplant is being considered as a treatment option, it is helpful to understand the transplant process.
Your Doctor Searches for a Marrow Donor or Cord Blood Unit
If you need an allogeneic transplant, your doctor will look for a marrow donor or cord blood unit that matches your HLA tissue type. HLA stands for human leukocyte antigen, a marker your immune system uses to recognize which cells belong in your body and which do not.
If a donor is not found in your family, your doctor can search for an unrelated donor or cord blood unit through the registry of the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program, also called the Be The Match Registry®. The registry is a listing of potential marrow donors and donated cord blood units.
The registry is operated under Federal contracts by the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP). The NMDP has agreements with its global partners that provide access to more than 18.5 million potential marrow donors and more than 590,000 cord blood units.
Your Body is Prepared for a Transplant
Before your body can receive the healthy cells, the diseased cells must be destroyed. This is done using chemotherapy and sometimes radiation. The destruction of diseased cells is called a preparative regimen or a conditioning regimen.
You Receive the Cells for the Transplant
On the day of transplant, the cells from the marrow donor or cord blood unit are infused intravenously (go into your body through a large vein). These healthy cells move into the spaces inside your bones where they create new marrow. They grow and make healthy new red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
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