Breadcrumb Home Treatments and examinations Autologous stem cell transplantation Autologous stem cell transplantation Keywords: Kantasolusiirrot Veritaudit verisairaudet ... Show all keywords Cancer myeloma = Intensive treatment and reinfusion of autologous stem cells. Treatment with autologous stem cell transplantation refers to a form of cancer treatment where a patient receives a higher dose of chemotherapy than usual. The idea is that the higher the dose of medication, the better the treatment result (elimination of the cancer). When the dose of chemotherapy increases substantially, there is concomitantly a risk of profound bone marrow function depression. The tolerability of the patient to the intensive treatment can be improved by collecting stem cells from the patient in advance, before the intensive chemotherapy treatment is administered. The stem cells are a kind of “seeds” which renew and produce specialized blood cells. After the high (intensive) dose of chemotherapy has been administered, the stem cells are given back to the patient through an intravenous infusion. From there, the cells find their way back to the bone marrow where they grow and guarantee the production of new blood cells. The goal of autologous stem cells transplantation is to cure the cancer or to slow the progression of the cancer so that the patient may enjoy a longer time free from disease. Autologous stem cell transplantation is an established form of treatment of myeloma, differentiated lymphomas and some solid malignant tumours. The timing of the autologous stem cell transplantation depends on the disease, but in practice the patient receives various cancer treatments to reduce the tumour burden before the actual transplantation is carried out. Phases of autologous stem cell transplantation Mobilization and collection of stem cells The best time for performing an autologous stem cell transplantation is always planned individually for each patient. Normally, human stem cells reside in the bone marrow. From there they are mobilized with the use of leukocyte growth factor with or without an additional chemotherapeutic drug. The purpose of this mobilization treatment is to increase severalfold the number of stem cells in the circulating blood. Collecting stem cells from the circulating blood (with the use of an apheresis machine) is easier for the patient than collecting stem cells from the bone marrow. The collected stem cells are frozen in liquid nitrogen, where they are kept until it’s time for the transplantation. High-dose chemotherapy, reinfusion of stem cells and patient recovery Autologous stem cells transplantations are performed in hospitals. The procedure has a duration of 3–4 weeks. First, the patient receives a high dose of one or several chemotherapeutic drugs (intensive chemotherapy). The purpose of this treatment is to destroy the cancer cells as completely as possible. The duration of the intensive treatment period varies from one to six days, depending of the disease being treated. Important adverse events possibly associated with chemotherapy include nausea, mucous membrane problems and hair loss. After completion of the intensive chemotherapeutic treatment, the stem cells that had been frozen are thawed in a water bath and returned to the patient through an intravenous drip (infusion). The patient’s bone marrow regains its function within 1–2 weeks after reinfusion of the stem cells. Before this, the patient’s blood count will be low due to the administered chemotherapy and will remain so for a few days. During the time of low blood counts the patient is more susceptible to infections than otherwise. The patient will need supportive treatment, like intravenous antibiotics, blood products and leukocyte growth factors. Terveyskylä.fi Syöpätalo Syöpätalo sisältää tietoa eri syöpäsairauksista ja niiden uusimmista hoitokeinoista ja tutkimuksista. Siirry Syöpätaloon (opens in new window, links to another website) Treatment facilities Stem cell transplantation unit At our unit we perform allogeneic as well as autologous stem cell transplantations. Hematology Ward At the hematology ward we examine and treat adult patients with hematological (blood) diseases. Hematology Outpatient Clinic, T-Hospital We examine and treat adult patients with hematological (blood) diseases. Print this page