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Definition

By Mayo Clinic staff

A stem cell transplant is the infusion of healthy stem cells into your body. A stem cell transplant may be necessary if your bone marrow stops working and doesn't produce enough healthy stem cells. A stem cell transplant can help your body make enough healthy white blood cells, red blood cells or platelets, and reduce your risk of life-threatening infections, anemia and bleeding.

Although the procedure to replenish your body's supply of healthy blood-forming cells is generally called a stem cell transplant, it's also known as a bone marrow transplant or an umbilical cord blood transplant, depending on the source of the stem cells. Stem cell transplants can use cells from your own body (autologous stem cell transplant), or they can use stem cells from donors (allogenic stem cell transplant).

References
  1. Bone marrow transplantation and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/bone-marrow-transplant/. Accessed Feb. 17, 2010.
  2. Blood and marrow stem cell transplantation. Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/attachments/National/br_1203086953.pdf. Accessed March 12, 2010.
  3. Aplastic anemia. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/aplastic/aplastic_all.html. Accessed March 12, 2010.

 

MY00089 June 10, 2010

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