Program Overview for Patients
The medical professionals of the Florida Center for Cellular Therapy are dedicated to your health, care and welfare. It's total team effort. You, and your primary caregiver, are vital members of that team. The decision to have a bone marrow transplant is a complex one. There is risk involved and your level of commitment to treatment plays a key role in long term success. FCCT supports you through the entire process from treatment planning to convalescence.
Florida Center for Cellular Therapy's Bone Marrow Transplant team includes:
- Physicians
- Physician Assistants
- Nurses
- Nurse Practitioners
- Social Workers
- Psychologists
- Respiratory Therapists
- Pharmacists
- Pain Management Specialists
- Physical Therapists
- Laboratory Technicians
- Transplant Coordinators
- Dietitians
- Chaplains
-
Volunteers
First Things First
Before any decisions are made, you'll meet with core members of our transplant team to determine if a bone marrow transplant is indeed your best course of action. The team considers all your personal and medical specifics when developing a comprehensive, individualized plan.
Some Basic Biology
Bone Marrow
There is a cavity inside every bone that's filled with soft, spongy tissue. That's the marrow. It's the factory in which various blood cell components are created and mature.
Stem Cells
These are immature "mother" cells that develop into a variety of blood cells; red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
Red Blood Cells
Transport oxygen to the body and remove waste gases like CO2.
White Blood Cells
Infection-fighters. They are a key part of the body's immune system. White blood cells come in many varieties, each with a specific job to do. Lymphocytes fight viruses and cancer cells. Neutrophils go after bacteria.
Platelets
Enable the blood to clot when the body bleeds.
About Blood and Marrow Transplantation
Bone Marrow Transplantation is a valuable tool in the treatment of many blood diseases, both cancerous and non-malignant. Unhealthy marrow is destroyed by chemotherapy and/or radiation, and new bone marrow is introduced to rebuild immune systems and blood cell counts.
The transplant procedure requires a source of stem cells. In some cases, that source may be your own blood or marrow cells (autologous), to be re-introduced at a later time. The other possibility would be a close genetic match from a suitable family member or unrelated donor (allogeneic).
Conditioning
Chemotherapy, often combined with radiation, starts the bone marrow transplant procedure. Conditioning prepares the bone cavities by incapacitating both diseased and healthy marrow cells, and sets the stage for the introduction of healthy replacements. If the donor stem cells were collected from marrow, the transplant is called a marrow stem cell transplant. If the stem cells came from blood, it's called a peripheral blood stem transplant.
Immediately following the transplant, your new marrow will begin to generate the full slate of various blood cells. But until your new immune system recovers and comes up to full production, you will be at risk of infection, bleeding and anemia. Other organs might also have been weakened by the conditioning process. This is a pivotal period. You will be closely monitored and may need blood transfusions to keep your blood cell count at sufficient levels. This period of monitoring and recovery may take several weeks if you supplied your own marrow cells for transplant, or several months if the cells came from a donor.
Bone Marrow Transplants Treat the Following:
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Not Just for Cancer
Bone marrow transplants are also used to treat a number of non-cancerous diseases that affect red cell production, such as hereditary disorders of the immune system. They are now even being used to combat lupus and multiple sclerosis. This is a powerful tool.
