Preparing for transplantation for a child. Without bone marrow, the body is unable to manufacture blood cells needed to defend against infection, carry oxygen, and stop bleeding.Īn autologous BMT enables Children’s National transplant doctors to "rescue" the patient from the effects of high-dose chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment by replacing the destroyed bone marrow.Future directions for the autologous transplant program at Children's National includes treatment of patients with severe autoimmune and rheumatologic disorders, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and dermatomyositis. The high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation used to treat those cancers also destroy the patient's bone marrow. Instead, they are malignant (cancerous) tumors located elsewhere in the body that are responsive to high-dose chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment. Autologous transplants are sometimes used in selected patients with other types of hard-to-treat cancer.ĭiseases treated by autologous BMTs are generally not disorders that start in or involve the bone marrow ( 5). This therapy is commonly used to treat brain tumors which are difficult to cure with standard chemotherapy ( 3) or radiation and in high-risk neuroblastoma ( 4), a type of childhood cancer that usually starts in the abdomen or the chest. The transplant doctors at Children’s National remain available to treat, or help the oncologist treat, any transplant-related complications. Once that part of the treatment is complete, patients return to the care of their oncologist for either further treatment or follow-up. In addition, the Patient and Family Support Program provides comprehensive mental and psychosocial services and helpful resources for all patients treated in Children’s National's Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, as well as patients’ parents and siblings.Īlthough Children's National oncologists refer many autologous transplant patients, Children’s National's transplant program also works with oncologists at other hospitals in the region and across the country to provide the transplant-related portion of a patient's treatment. Children's National patients have access to cutting-edge treatments through several clinical trials for blood and marrow transplantation. Many patients come to the transplant ( 1) program at Children's National Hospital because of its excellent reputation in the field of pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation (BMT).
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