The length of a stem cell transplant does not have to do with its lifespan, but with the time it takes for the transplanted cells to engraft and the patient recovers. The recovery time varies depending on the type of transplant and can range from a few weeks to several months. It depends on the type of stem cell transplant you are undergoing. People who undergo autologous stem cell transplantation usually recover in about two months. Full recovery from an allogeneic stem cell transplant can take several months to up to a year.
Your healthcare provider may recommend that you stay in or near the hospital or treatment center for the first 100 days after the procedure. The first treatment for myeloma is usually a combination of targeted anticancer drugs, chemotherapy, and steroids. The goal is to destroy as many myeloma cells as possible possible. You will be treated for 4 to 6 months.
After you complete this initial treatment, you may have a stem cell transplant. This is a very intensive treatment and can cause serious side effects. So you have to be well enough. They are not suitable for everyone. Your specialist will discuss the options with you.
A stem cell or bone marrow transplant is a long and complicated process that consists of 5 main stages. Before you can perform a stem cell transplant, you'll need a series of tests and exams to make sure you're healthy enough to perform the procedure. Transplants tend to be more successful in people who are in good general health, despite their underlying condition. If you have cancer, you may also need a biopsy. This is where a small sample of cancer cells is removed and tested.
It can show if the cancer is under control (in remission) and if there is a high risk that it will return after the transplant. After you have been tested to check your general health, it is necessary to extract and store the stem cells that will be used for the transplant. It is possible to extract stem cells from your own blood or bone marrow and transplant them later, after the damaged or cancerous cells have been removed. The most common way to remove stem cells is to temporarily remove blood from the body, separate the stem cells, and then return the blood to the body.
To increase the number of stem cells in the blood, a medication that stimulates their production will be given for about 4 days beforehand. On the fifth day, a blood test will be done to check that there are enough circulating stem cells. If there are enough cells, the veins in each arm will be connected by tubes to a cell-separating machine. Blood is drawn from one arm and passed through a filter, before being returned to the body through the other arm. This procedure is painless and is done while you are awake. It takes about 3 to 4 hours and may need to be repeated the next day if not enough cells are removed the first time.
An alternative method for collecting stem cells is to remove about one liter of bone marrow from the hip bone with a needle and syringe. The needle may need to be inserted into several parts of the hip to ensure that enough bone marrow is obtained. This is done under general anesthesia, so you'll be asleep and won't feel any pain while it's done. However, the area where the needle is inserted may hurt later and you will have marks on the skin where it was inserted (usually one on each side).
Treatment with high doses of chemotherapy and sometimes radiation therapy will be needed before stem cells can be transplanted. As part of the conditioning treatment, you'll be given a variety of medications, so a tube called the central line will usually be inserted into a large vein near your heart. This means that medications can be introduced into the body without the need for many injections. Conditioning can cause a number of unpleasant side effects, such as nausea, hair loss, and tiredness. The treatment team will discuss the risks of the treatment with you beforehand.
Learn more about the risks of stem cell transplants. Usually, the transplant will take place one or two days after the conditioning is finished. The transplant won't be painful and you'll be awake all the time. After the transplant is complete, you'll need to stay in the hospital for a few weeks while you wait for stem cells to deposit in the bone marrow and start producing new blood cells.
Many people are well enough to leave the hospital 1 to 3 months after the transplant. However, if you have complications, such as an infection, you may need to stay in the hospital longer. Even after you return home, you'll still be at risk of getting infections for a year or longer, as it can take a while for your immune system to recover its full strength. If donor stem cells were transplanted, you'll usually also need to take medications called immunosuppressants that stop your immune system from working as effectively. This is done to reduce the risk of the body attacking the transplanted cells or to reduce the risk of the transplanted cells attacking other cells in the body.
During this time, you may feel tired and generally not feeling well. You are at risk of fever, infection, bleeding, anemia, organ damage, and eating problems. Most of these problems worsen when the blood count is very low, usually 2 to 3 weeks after the transplant. A stem cell transplant is a process that takes months and can be physically and emotionally exhausting.
While the procedure itself doesn't take long, patients are usually admitted to the hospital at least a week before the transplant to receive preparatory treatments and then stay several weeks later for recover. Grafting occurs when transplanted stem cells enter the blood, reach the bone marrow and begin to produce new blood cells. You'll have frequent checkups and tests after your stem cell transplant until your new bone marrow works properly and there are no serious problems. Stem cell transplants can help cure or delay certain types of blood cancer or blood disorders that haven't responded to other types of treatment.
In other cases, providers obtain them from a donor and give them to someone who has cancerous, abnormal, or damaged stem cells (allogeneic stem cell transplant).). In the past, doctors extracted bone marrow from a patient's hip bone to access stem cells. About 1 to 2 years after a stem cell transplant, most people need to be vaccinated with vaccines that are usually given in childhood (such as polio and measles). This procedure replenishes blood stem cells in the bone marrow so that they can produce new, healthy blood cells.
As a late effect, people who have undergone a stem cell transplant are at greater risk of developing skin cancer in later stages. of life. First, stem cells are collected from the donor or patient, depending on the type of transplant being performed. Blood tests and a bone marrow sample show when blood cell counts begin to increase as new blood cells are produced.
For more information on how to undergo a stem cell transplant, you can call Cancer Research UK's nurses on 0808 800 4040. If you're thinking about having a stem cell transplant, your healthcare provider will explain potential complications to you so you can weigh those risks and potential benefits. After a stem cell transplant, you may have access to a “late effects” clinic run by clinical nurse (CNS) specialists.
