Cancer Bone marrow transplants

When you might have a bone marrow transplant
Bone marrow transplants are used to treat people with several types of cancer, including leukaemia. Bone marrow transplants can be used when

Your cancer, lymphoma or leukaemia is in remission but is likely to come back
other treatments have not cured your cancer, leukaemia or lymphoma

What a bone marrow transplant is
Bone marrow transplant is a way of giving very high dose chemotherapy, sometimes with radiotherapy, to try to cure some types of cancer. Because you can have higher doses of treatment, there may be more chance of curing the cancer.

The bone marrow is the spongy substance inside your bones which makes all your blood cells. High doses of chemotherapy drugs kill off your bone marrow. This means you cannot make any blood cells. So doctors can take out some of your bone marrow before you have the chemotherapy and freeze it. This is called a bone marrow harvest.

After you have had the chemotherapy, you have your healthy bone marrow back through a drip (intravenous transfusion). The bone marrow cells find their own way back to your bone marrow. Then you can make the blood cells you need again. This is called an autologous transplant. You may hear this treatment called a bone marrow rescue. This is because your own bone marrow is given back to you to 'rescue' you from the effects of your cancer treatment.

Sometimes you cannot have your own bone marrow harvested because there is too great a risk that your cancer will come back. Then bone marrow from a brother or sister might be used. Occasionally, if you do not have a brother or sister (a sibling donor) who is a match, you can have marrow from a matched donor who is not related to you. The donor must have similar bone marrow to you. A transplant of bone marrow from another person is called an allogeneic transplant.

Having a bone marrow harvest
Before your bone marrow is taken you will have a general anaesthetic. To remove the marrow, the doctor puts a needle through the skin into the hip bone (pelvis). The bone marrow is sucked out through the needle into a syringe. To get enough marrow, the doctor usually has to put the needle into several different parts of the pelvis. Occasionally, the doctor uses the chest bone (sternum) as well. You will have about two pints (one litre) of bone marrow removed. This is then frozen until it is needed.

When you wake up, you will have up to about 6 puncture sites covered with plasters. You will probably feel a bit sore and bruised. This can last for up to a week. Your doctor will give you some painkillers to take.

You usually have to stay in hospital one to two nights for a bone marrow harvest. This is to make sure you have recovered from the anaesthetic. You may also need a blood transfusion.

More information about bone marrow and stem cell transplants
If you would like more information about anything to do with bone marrow and stem cell transplants, contact one of the cancer information organisations in our help and support section. They will be happy to help. They often have free factsheets and booklets which they can send to you.