Posted by Becky
A stem cell transplant is basically the same thing as a bone marrow transplant. In Leif's case, the cells will be harvested from circulating blood, rather than pulled from bone marrow. This is a more comfortable procedure for all involved.
Several years ago there was a lot of discussion about embryonic stem cells, but adults also have stem cells in their bodies. Blood stem cells live in everybody's bone marrow, and generate all the different types of blood cells - red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. During a transplant, healthy stem cells are collected, either from the patient or from an adult volunteer donor, and frozen. All the cells in a patient's bone marrow are then killed by chemotherapy and, sometimes, radiation, in order to kill off the cancer cells. Then the healthy stem cells are transfused into the patient's blood stream. They naturally migrate to the bone marrow and get back to business making blood.
A stem cell transplant is basically the same thing as a bone marrow transplant. In Leif's case, the cells will be harvested from circulating blood, rather than pulled from bone marrow. This is a more comfortable procedure for all involved.
Several years ago there was a lot of discussion about embryonic stem cells, but adults also have stem cells in their bodies. Blood stem cells live in everybody's bone marrow, and generate all the different types of blood cells - red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. During a transplant, healthy stem cells are collected, either from the patient or from an adult volunteer donor, and frozen. All the cells in a patient's bone marrow are then killed by chemotherapy and, sometimes, radiation, in order to kill off the cancer cells. Then the healthy stem cells are transfused into the patient's blood stream. They naturally migrate to the bone marrow and get back to business making blood.
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