Our Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program is the first and only program of its kind in mid-Missouri, bringing care for these complex conditions closer to home.
Offering specialized care for complex blood disorders, cancers and other illnesses, our cancer and transplant experts work together to offer patients treatment options that are tailored to their individual needs.
Blood and Marrow Transplant
A blood and marrow transplant — also referred to as a bone marrow transplant or a blood stem cell transplant — is used to treat various cancers and blood disorders including leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma. There are two main types of blood and marrow transplant: autologous and allogeneic.
Autologous Transplant
During an autologous transplant, patients receive their own stem cells in a process that is very similar to a blood transfusion. Patients go through an initial cancer treatment, then their blood stem cells are collected, frozen and stored.
Patients are then given high doses of chemotherapy in what’s called a conditioning treatment. After this phase of treatment is completed, the healthy stem cells are returned to the patient through an infusion.
The stem cells move into the bone marrow and begin creating healthy, cancer-free blood cells.
MU Health Care currently offers autologous bone marrow transplants to adults.
Allogeneic Transplant
During an allogeneic transplant, the patient goes through the same process as an autologous transplant, except the stem cells come from a carefully matched donor (usually a family member or a donor from a national registry).
With an allogeneic transplant, patients take medication to help the body accept the donor cells and reduce the risk of graft versus host disease, a complication in which the patient's organs can be damaged.
MU Health Care is currently working toward offering allogeneic transplants for adult patients in the near future.
CAR-T Cell Therapy
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, or CAR-T, is an immunotherapy used to treat certain cancers and other diseases.
These treatments begin with our Apheresis team collecting T-cells (a type of white blood cell) from a patient’s blood. The T-cells are then modified in a lab to make them better able to identify and destroy cancer cells. Once this process is complete, the patient will receive a short course of chemotherapy before T-cells are returned to the patient through an infusion. The CAR-T cells then become active and fight the patient's cancer cells.
MU Health Care currently offers four different CAR-T cell therapy treatment options and is working to add more to better personalize care for each patient based on their diagnosis.
What to Expect During Treatment
If you are a candidate for a blood and marrow transplant or CAR-T cell therapy, our care team will sit with you to discuss your condition and available treatment options. Once a decision is made to proceed, our team will guide you through the necessary pre-treatment evaluations and preparations.
The next steps in the process are highly dependent on the specific type of treatment you are receiving and your own unique medical history. While some parts of your therapy may be completed on an outpatient basis, most patients will need to stay in or close to the hospital for several weeks. This allows your team to continuously look for and manage side effects and make sure that your treatment is working.
Your care will include regular follow-ups and support during all aspects of your recovery.
Your Care Team
At MU Health Care, our team works closely with you and your family, as well as your primary care doctor and existing members of your care team, to ensure you get the best care possible.
Your care team will include:
- Hematologists and oncologists, who are trained to diagnose and treat blood, bone marrow and lymphatic cancers
- Transplant doctors, who have special training in stem cell transplants
- Nurse practitioners, who are trained in stem cell transplants and work with doctors to help care for you
- Clinical transplant coordinators, who are involved from start to finish to help ensure your care is smooth, from appointment scheduling to helping with insurance coverage
- Nurses, who are trained in transplant therapy and chemotherapy and work with your doctors to help give you chemotherapy and manage side effects
- Pharmacists, who help you prepare for your treatments and oversee all drug therapy
- Social workers, who provide support and guidance in various areas, including mental well-being, resources and advocacy
- Patient care technicians, who work with nurses to give you the support you need with daily activities while in the hospital
You will also have access to physical therapists, dietitians and other specialists as needed to help support your care and recovery.
Alternative Treatment Options
If you are not eligible for CAR-T cell therapy or blood and marrow transplant, MU Health Care offers other leading-edge treatments. These include the use of small molecules and proteins that target specific parts of your cancer cells or help your T-cells fight cancer more effectively.
