autologous stem cell transplant
(aw-TAH-luh-gus ... TRANZ-plant)
A procedure in which a patient’s healthy stem cells (blood-forming cells) are collected from the blood or bone marrow before treatment, stored, and then given back to the patient after treatment. An autologous stem cell transplant replaces a patient’s stem cells that were destroyed by treatment with radiation or high doses of chemotherapy. An autologous stem cell transplant is most often used to treat blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma.
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Enlarge this image in new windowAutologous stem cell transplant. (Step 1): Blood is taken from a vein in the patient’s arm and flows through an apheresis machine that removes the stem cells. The remaining blood is returned to a vein in the other arm. (Step 2): The patient receives chemotherapy to kill cancer cells. Healthy cells, including blood-forming cells, are also destroyed by the cancer treatment. (Step 3): After the patient completes chemotherapy or radiation therapy (not shown), the stem cells are given back to the patient to replace the blood-forming cells that were destroyed by the cancer treatment. The stem cells help the bone marrow recover and make healthy blood cells.