How Does Autologous Bone Marrow Transplantation Work?
In an autologous transplant the high-dose treatment kills the cancer cells, but it also gets rid of the blood-producing cells that are left in your bone marrow. Afterward, the collected stem cells are put back into your bloodstream, allowing the bone marrow to produce new blood cells. PBSC harvesting is similar to giving blood. It is easier than taking cells from a person’s bone marrow, which is sometimes done for Allogeneic Transplants . Also, it does not require an operation or general anesthesia. At Memorial Sloan Kettering, stem cells are collected in the blood donor room using an apheresis machine. Over the course of one to five days, blood is taken out of a vein and put through the machine, which collects the stem cells. The other parts of the blood are then returned to your body. Most people don’t have side effects from blood collection and can go back to their regular activities. These activities are especially done by Bone Marrow Transplant Specialist doctors . P...