A stem cell transplant involves injecting healthy stem cells into your vein. They transport to the bone marrow after entering the bloodstream and replace the destroyed cells. Stem cells with the ability to form the blood are obtainable from the bloodstream, umbilical cord, and bone marrow.
Stem cell success is visible through the transplants like autologous, allogeneic, and syngeneic. However, it is a must for the stem cells to match yours in different ways to avoid or minimize the potential side effects. Transplants involving blood-forming stem cells are handy in recovering your ability to produce post-treatment stem cells production with higher doses of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or a combination of both. However, stem cell transplants may directly help with some blood disorders like leukemia or multiple myeloma.
Stem cell transplants can help various diseases and disorders. It is most often a proven technique to deal with lymphoma and leukemia and Individuals with multiple myeloma and neuroblastoma. Studies are underway to discover the potential benefits of stem cell transplants for other cancer types.
While stem cell transplants are safe, higher doses of cancer treatment may cause several side effects, such as infection or bleeding. Ideally, you can talk to your healthcare practitioner about other possible side effects and know their intensity.
Stem cells transplants are complicated and expensive procedures. In most cases, you can use your insurance plan to cover the maximum costs to treat some cancer types through stem cell transplants.
Generally, a stem cell transplant takes several months to complete. You will first need to undergo the treatment involving higher doses of radiation therapy and chemotherapy, or both for a week or two.
Your doctor will inject the blood-forming stem cells through an IV catheter after a few days. It is more like the process of blood transfusion and takes several hours to complete. Then, your recovery phase begins, where you wait for the received stem cells to start the production of new blood cells. Your immune system might take much longer to fully recover even if your blood counts get back to normal.
