What is a Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplant?

 You need healthy bone marrow and blood cells to stay healthy and fit. If you have a condition that affects your bone marrow or blood, a this transplantation done by the Best BMT Specialist in India. For some people, it offers hope of a possible cure.

During your transplant, your medical team will place new, healthy stem cells from a matched donor into your bloodstream. After some time they will attach and grow within your bone marrow (called engraftment) and start making new blood cells.

If you need a stem cell transplant, every effort is made to find a matching donor for you. Matching is based on your human leukocyte antigen (HLA) tissue type. Your HLA is what makes you 'you' - it's part of your personal genetic makeup - but it's not always possible to find a perfect match.

One option is to perform a haploid (often shortened to 'haplo') transplant using a family member whose tissue type is half yours. Children are always half-hearted to their biological parents, and vice versa. Siblings have a 50% chance of being half-matched to each other.

This means you have a large choice of potential donors – almost everyone has at least one potential haploid match in their family.

Who may need a haploid transplant?

Haploidentical transplants are becoming more common because they can help quickly find a suitable donor. Depending on the type of blood cancer or blood disorder you have, if no perfectly matching donor is found, a haploidentical transplant may be an option. Your transplant team will make the best possible decision for your situation.

If you have had a haploidentical transplant, there is a higher risk of developing post-transplant complications because there are more mismatches between you and your donor. However, with advances in how transplants are performed and in post-transplant care, they may be a good option if you do not have an HLA-matched donor.

Unfortunately, haploidentical transplants are not suitable for all patients and they are not available in every hospital, so talk to your transplant team about your options.

What happens before the transplant?

To your Relative

If your relative is a suitable match and is happy to donate their stem cells, your transplant center will arrange a 'donor evaluation' and a medical check-up to ensure they are fit and good enough to donate. They can find out more on our webpage on Donating Stem Cells to a Relative.

To You

You will have conditioning therapy to prepare your bone marrow and immune system for the new cells. This includes chemotherapy and sometimes a type of radiotherapy called total body radiation (TBI). It also targets any remaining abnormal cells causing your condition.

What will happen during the transplant?

Your transplant will usually take place a day after the conditioning therapy is over. Your relative's stem cells will arrive as a liquid in a small bag. Like a blood transfusion, they will be passed through a thin tube into your bloodstream. The implant isn't painful, and you'll be awake the entire time because there's no operation involved.

After your transplant you may also have:

• More chemotherapy

• Extra circulation of white blood cells called lymphocytes.

Your transplant team will talk to you about your individualized treatment plan and you can always ask them questions if you are unsure.

Recovering from a Haploid Transplant

You will probably stay in the hospital for about three to four weeks after your transplant. This time will be spent in protective isolation to give your immune system time to start rebuilding. You will stay in your room with caution to reduce the risk of infection. For more information on how to cope during this time, see our webpage asking You to Stay in Protective Isolation.

Once you are at home, your recovery is likely to affect many aspects of your life. It may take six to 12 months for your activity level to return to normal. More information and advice can be found in the recovery sections of our website: Body, Mind and Life.

What side effects can I expect?

Getting a transplant is a very intense treatment that will affect you both physically and mentally. Your transplant team will talk to you about your risk of complications and side effects so that you can make the best decision for your care.

Side effects vary from person to person and may be short or long term. They are often caused by conditioning therapy and the transplant itself.

Short-term side effects may include:

• Increased risk of infection

• Pain in the mouth (mucositis)

• Liver and kidney problems

• fatigue

• diarrhea and feeling or being sick

• loss of appetite

• hair fall.

You may sometimes feel hopeless and find it difficult to cope with your situation. It makes sense. Your transplant team will be ready to listen to your concerns and may refer you to a doctor for further assistance. We have more information about this in our Recovery: Mind section.

Long term side effects may include:

• Increased risk of infection

• fatigue

• Graft versus host disease (GVHD).

After your transplant, there will be small differences between your developing immune system and other cells in your body. As a result, your new immune system can damage your own cells because it sees them as 'different'. This is called graft versus host disease (GVHD).