Patient FAQs

Q: What are blood stem cells?
A: Blood stem cells are one type of stem cell. Stem cells are cells that can grow into other types of cells. Blood stem cells grow into red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Red blood cells carry oxygen, white blood cells fight infection and platelets help clot blood. Healthy blood stem cells are necessary to live.

Q: Where do blood stem cells used for transplants come from?
A: Cells used in stem cell transplants can come from bone marrow, human blood and umbilical cord blood.

Q: What is a blood stem cell, or bone marrow, transplant?
A: A blood stem cell transplant is a treatment option for patients with leukemia or other blood diseases. The transplant helps replace unhealthy blood stem cells with healthy ones after chemotherapy or radiation therapy. After these therapies kill unhealthy cells, the immune system needs to be rebuilt by injecting healthy stem cells through the patient’s vein. In three to four weeks, the stem cells will grow into red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Hospital stay is required throughout the process.

Q: Are there different types of transplants?
A: Yes. Transplanted stem cells may come from two sources. In an autologous transplant, your own blood stem cells are collected, frozen and put back in after chemotherapy or radiation therapy. In an allogeneic transplant, blood stem cells come from a donor, related or unrelated.

Q: What is a cord blood transplant?
A: A cord blood transplant uses blood stem cells from the blood in a newborn’s umbilical cord.

Q: Is a transplant right for me?
A: Blood stem cell transplants have serious risks. Some patients can get infections, but oftentimes transplants are the best hope for a cure.

Q: How well do transplants work?
A: How well transplants work depends on the stage of the disease, the disease itself, the patient’s age, the patient’s health and how close the donor’s tissue matches the patient’s tissue.

Q: Could I catch a disease from my donor?
A: Donors and donations are thoroughly screened. We are also notified when new or rare diseases are a concern, but cannot guarantee 100% that the cells are free of disease.

Q: Where do I receive a stem cell transplant?
A: Stem cell transplants are conducted in a transplant center.

Q: How much does a stem cell transplant cost?
A: Transplants from an unrelated donor can be expensive. Most health plans partially cover the cost, but oftentimes do not cover the cost of a donor search.

Q: How do I find a matching donor?
A: Your transplant center will search for a match for you on the NMDP, a collection of donor registries. DKMS belongs to this registry. The transplant center will also check the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA).

Q: Will I meet my donor?
A: DKMS protects donor information, but can help facilitate communication without risking invasion of donor or patient privacy. After one year, many transplant centers allow donors and patients to meet if both the donor and patient sign release forms.