Bone Marrow Transplant

A bone marrow transplant involves replacing damaged or destroyed bone marrow with stem cells in order to regrow healthy bone marrow. Chemotherapy, radiation or both may be given before a transplant to kill any cancer cells or damaged cells in order to help the healthy cells grow. Stem cells are delivered to your body via your bloodstream through a central venous catheter, allowing the cells to travel into the bone marrow. Your doctor may request a bone marrow transplant if you’ve had cancer, chemotherapy that destroyed your bone marrow, or certain diseases that affect your bone marrow growth. This procedure is usually performed in a specialized hospital or medical center and may require you to stay in the transplant center to avoid getting an infection.