Stem cell transplants can treat diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. Donors can be the patient, a family member, or an unrelated person. Stem cells can be collected through bone marrow extraction, peripheral blood apheresis, or umbilical cord blood collection. Apheresis and cord blood sampling are less invasive methods.
Stem cell transplants, also known as bone marrow transplants, are used to treat a variety of diseases, including leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma. A stem cell donor can be the patient himself, a compatible biological family member or an unrelated donor. The three main methods for stem cell collection are bone marrow extraction, peripheral blood apheresis, and umbilical cord blood collection.
Surgical extraction of bone marrow for stem cell collection takes place in an operating room where the donor is under general anesthesia. During surgery, donor bone marrow is extracted from different puncture sites in the hip bones using a special needle. About 1 to 2 quarts (94-1.89 liters) of bone marrow are taken, which is about five percent of a patient’s total marrow. After the bone marrow is extracted, it is filtered and any fat or bone fragments are removed. The donation is then transported to the laboratory to be processed before being frozen for transplantation at a later time or immediately transplanted into the recipient.
In recent years, peripheral blood apheresis has become a popular method for stem cell harvesting, as it does not involve a surgical procedure. To prepare for apheresis, the donor usually receives a special drug, known as granulocyte stimulating factor (G-CSF), for several days to stimulate the marrow to release more stem cells into the bloodstream. Blood is then removed from the donor via an IV placed in a large vein in the arm or a line placed centrally in the chest, neck, or under the arm. The blood then passes through a machine that separates the stem cells from red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Cells that are not needed are then returned to the donor through another vein in the arm or through a central line.
Cord blood sampling has also become a popular method of harvesting stem cells. With this method, stem cells are simply removed from a newborn’s discarded umbilical cord and placenta at the time of delivery. The main advantage of this type of stem cell collection is that it does not harm or inconvenience the donor, as the materials would have been discarded anyway. These stem cells can be frozen for an upcoming transplant that has already been scheduled or cryopreserved for any unforeseen need in the distant future. This method of stem cell harvesting has traditionally been reserved for those donating to children or young adults, due to the limited number of stem cells available within the umbilical cord and placenta.
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