Bone marrow transplant

Bone marrow is a spongy material found in the hollow centres of some bones. It is important as it contains special cells known as stem cells.

Stem cells create other specialised cells that carry out important functions. Stem cells in bone marrow produce three important types of blood cells:

• red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body
• white blood cells, which help fight infection
• platelets, which help stop bleeding  

Bone marrow transplantation

Bone marrow transplantation (also known as stem cell transplantation) involves harvesting healthy stem cells to replenish the bone marrow of the patient. The new stem cells take over the production of the blood cells.

In some circumstances, it may be possible to take your own bone marrow from another part of your body (this is known as autologous transplantation). The bone marrow may be cleared of any diseased cells before being returned.

For more information, see How bone marrow transplant is performed.

Outlook

Undergoing a stem cell transplant can be an intensive and challenging experience. The medicines used to prepare the body can cause unpleasant side effects and there is a risk of complications, such as your body rejecting the new stem cells, the new stem cells attacking your body (known as graft-versus-host disease) and infection.

Many people will take up to one year to recover fully from the procedure.