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Cellular therapy
Stem cell & bone marrow transplant
High-dose treatment followed by restoration of the blood-forming system.
Referral & opinion only
What it is
Transplant replaces the blood-forming stem cells destroyed by very high-dose treatment, either with your own cells collected beforehand (autologous) or with a donor's (allogeneic).
An allogeneic transplant brings a second effect: the donor immune system itself acts against residual disease. It also brings graft-versus-host disease, which is why donor matching and long-term follow-up matter so much.
When it is used
- In defined blood cancers, at defined points in the disease course
- Where fitness, organ function and disease status meet the transplanting centre's criteria
- Where a suitable donor is identified, for allogeneic transplant
How the decision is made
- Whether transplant referral is appropriate, and when, timing is often the whole decision.
- Which centre, and what the practical and financial burden on the family will realistically be.
- What the alternatives are if transplant is not possible or not chosen.
Entirely at a designated transplant centre, with prolonged inpatient admission. KPCIRC does not perform transplants.
Who does what
What we handle, and what happens elsewhere
KPCIRC handles
- Transplant-referral opinion from the haemato-oncology clinic
- Complete case assembly before referral
- Board review
- Cost, scheme and assistance mapping
- Long-term survivorship follow-up after return, including late effects and vaccination
Performed and billed elsewhere
- Donor search and matching
- Stem cell collection
- Conditioning treatment
- The transplant admission
- All inpatient care
- Infection risk after transplant is prolonged and serious. Fever after a transplant is always an emergency, however well you otherwise feel.
Questions to ask your own doctor
Take these with you. They work whether or not you are treated here.
- Why now rather than later, or later rather than now?
- Autologous or allogeneic, and why?
- How long in hospital, and how long away from work and home?
- What is the realistic total cost, and what schemes apply?
- What is the plan for the years afterwards?
Support that goes with it
Where this is used
Cancers this commonly forms part of
Not sure this is the right option for you?
That is exactly what a second opinion is for. Bring what you have, we will tell you what is missing and what the alternatives actually are, in writing.