Stem Cell Transplant (Peripheral Blood,

What we’ll cover here This document reviews bone marrow transplants and different types of stem cell transplants used to treat cancer. We’ll outline what stem cells do, why people need transplants, and what a transplant is like for most people. We’ll also cover some of the issues that come with transplants, and what it’s like to donate stem cells. What are stem cells and why are they transplanted? All of the blood cells in your body start out as young (immature) cells called hematopoietic stem cells. (Hematopoietic means blood-forming, and is pronounced he-muh-toe-poi-ET-ick.) Even though they are called stem cells, they are not the same as the embryos ’ stem cells that are studied in cloning and other types of research. Here, the words stem cells refer to blood-forming stem cells. Stem cells mostly live in the bone marrow (the spongy center of certain bones), where they divide to make new blood cells. Once blood cells mature, they leave the bone marrow and enter the bloodstream. A small number of stem cells also get into the bloodstream. These are calle