Preparation with chemotherapy or radiotherapy
Patients who need a transplant are pre-treated with a form of chemotherapy, that may be combined with radiotherapy. Unfortunately, this treatment not only destroys the sick blood cells, but also the normal immature cells that give rise to blood cells and the stem cells. For the patient, this means that it is critically important to receive a transplant of stem cells after this type of treatment. These stem cells are harvested from the bone marrow or blood of a healthy donor with the same tissue type. This person could be a brother or sister, or a volunteer donor. A third possibility is that the stem cells are provided by an umbilical cord blood unit.
Transplant without the need for surgery
The stem cells are administered to the patient using a procedure similar to a blood transfusion. The cells find their way into the marrow cavities in the patient’s bones, where they start to produce new blood cells. So there is absolutely no need for surgery.