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Blood and Bone Marrow Transplants (BMT)

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https://www.texasoncology.com/services-and-treatments/treatments/blood-and-marrow-transplant

Blood and Bone Marrow Transplants (BMT)

Blood and bone marrow transplants (BMT) offer treatment options for diseases once thought incurable. BMT is commonly used for patients diagnosed with leukemia, aplastic anemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, immune deficiency disorders, and some solid tumors.

There are multiple types of transplants. The specific type of transplant depends on your diagnosis and condition. With all transplants, immature blood-forming cells called hematopoietic stem cells are infused into your body to help it build new healthy cells that repopulate your body with healthy, non-diseased cells. Hematopoietic stem cells build white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets in your bone marrow and blood stream.

Types of Blood and Bone Marrow Transplants

There are three types of blood and bone marrow transplants:

  • Autologous stem cell transplants use your own bone marrow, which is extracted and stored for future use.
  • Allogeneic stem cell transplants use bone marrow or stem cells from a donor source. Donor sources may include family members, unrelated people, or umbilical cord blood. Testing is conducted to match the genetic makeup of the donor and the patient.
  • Syngeneic BMT uses bone marrow or stem cells from a twin.

The Transplant Procedure

The first step in a blood and bone marrow transplant procedure is apheresis. During apheresis, stem cells are extracted from the donor or patient (depending on the type of transplant), while the blood is returned to your body.

During the BMT process, your diseased bone marrow is destroyed with high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation. The healthy harvested cells are then infused back into your bloodstream.

Infusion of the stem cells may last 10 minutes to three hours, depending on the quantity and source of the cells. While the bone marrow transplant procedure itself only takes a few hours, it can take several months for the complete marrow transition. Many transplant patients require hospitalization at some point during the procedure, although the length of the hospital stay will vary based on the type of transplantation and your condition.

Here are locations for patients to receive blood and bone marrow transplants:

Telemedicine 

Patients who need blood and marrow transplants but who do not live near one of our locations offering the treatment may be able to receive initial consultations and some follow-up care from Texas Oncology via Telemedicine. While patients would need to travel for blood and marrow transplant treatment, in some cases, remote patient/physician interactions may be available, providing greater convenience and less travel for care. Texas Oncology currently offers Telemedicine to provide patients access to highly specialized care, in conjunction with a local Texas Oncology physician. Learn more about Telemedicine.

BMT Clinical Trials

Texas Oncology is a leader in ground-breaking cancer research and clinical trials in Texas paving the way for new breakthroughs in cancer care. You may be eligible to participate in a stem cell transplant clinical trial, depending on your age, sex, cancer type, stage of cancer, previous treatments, and general medical history. Click here to find a stem cell transplant clinical trial and talk with your doctor to determine if a trial is right for you.

Myths and Facts

Learn about the myths and facts of donation:

Myth: There is only one type of blood and marrow transplant.

Fact: Several types of blood and marrow transplants are available. With allogeneic BMT, donor sources can be a relative, unrelated donor, or umbilical cord blood. Syngeneic BMT uses a recipient’s twin as the donor. With autologous BMT, bone marrow is extracted from the patient prior to transplant and is transplanted back into the patient.

Myth: BMT only treats leukemia.

Fact: A BMT can treat many types of cancer, including multiple types of leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. BMTs can also treat several syndromes that are inherited or developed after birth, such as sickle cell disease.

Myth: Donating marrow is really painful.

Fact: Registering as a donor is completely painless – many registries require only a cheek swab – and can help save a life. With advancements in technology, the stigma of a painful bone marrow transplant is slowly fading. Donors feel little to no pain during the procedure, and usually feel no more than aches or pains similar to a pulled muscle. Since most BMTs use adult stem cells collected from a donor’s blood, many donors feel nothing afterward.

Myth: If I’m a woman, then my donor will need to be one, too.

Fact: A good match is determined more by the specific proteins in a donor’s blood, not by gender. These markers are inherited from both parents.

Myth: If I’m a woman and my donor is a man, I’ll receive more than his blood and marrow – I’ll develop masculine traits.

Fact: A BMT from the opposite sex will affect only the recipient’s blood and marrow cells and immune system. Much like getting blood donated from the opposite gender, a BMT will not give the recipient any of the donor’s gender traits.

Myth: Since mothers are related so closely to their children, they will be the best match.

Fact: Most people – 70 percent of patients – do not have a close enough match in their family. Each person inherits blood markers from both parents, so the closest match within a family would be an identical twin, a brother, or a sister from the same parents.

Myth: Getting a BMT means you’ll stay in the hospital for several months.

Fact: With today’s technology and advanced treatments, some BMT patients can receive the treatment without staying overnight at a hospital. The actual transplant is usually conducted in a hospital, but much of the follow-up care can be done on an outpatient basis. The donation process is done on an outpatient basis, without the need of an overnight hospital stay.

Locations and Specialists

Texas Oncology-Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center Blood and Marrow Transplant
3410 Worth St.
Dallas, TX 75246
T: 214-370-1500

Blood & Marrow Transplant Specialists:

Texas Oncology-Medical City Dallas Blood and Marrow Transplant
7777 Forest Lane
Dallas, TX 75230
T: 972-566-7790
Blood & Marrow Transplant Specialists:Texas Oncology-Midland Allison Cancer Center
400 Rosalind Redfern Grover Pkwy.
Midland, TX 79701
T: 432-687-1949
Blood & Marrow Transplant Specialists:Source: https://www.texasoncology.com/services-and-treatments/treatments/blood-and-marrow-transplant