Stem cell transplantation
Conditioning with high-dose therapy takes full effect within a day or so of being administered after which, stem cells must be transplanted back to help restore bone marrow function.
At this point the frozen bags of stem cells are brought to the ward, thawed and returned into the patient by intravenous infusion. This process, which takes approximately one hour, is relatively straightforward. The day of transplant is referred to as Day 0.
After entering the bloodstream, the transplanted stem cells migrate to the bone marrow where they begin to produce new white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets – a process known as engraftment. The engraftment process signals the beginning of the recovery period but patients remain significantly immunosuppressed for several weeks and are highly susceptible to infection. Patients therefore need to stay in a clean environment such as a single room, or special bay for 10 – 14 days until their blood counts, particularly neutrophils, reach a safe minimum. This is often referred to as the period of isolation.
Watch the following animation illustrating the different stages involved in the procedure and the principles behind them: