Autologous stem cell transplantation

The patient's blood-forming stem cells are first collected from the blood or bone marrow, then frozen and stored. The patient next receives high-dose chemotherapy, sometimes with radiation, aimed at destroying the cancer — at doses so intensive that they also destroy the bone marrow. The thawed cells are then given back through a vein, much like a blood transfusion; they travel to the bones and over the following weeks resume producing blood cells. The transplant itself does not attack the cancer — its role is to make very intensive treatment possible by restoring the marrow afterwards. Until the graft starts working, blood counts are very low and the patient needs protection against infection and bleeding; full recovery of the immune system after an autologous transplant usually takes several months.