Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program

If you are eligible for an autologous (which involves cells that have come from your own body) or allogeneic (which involves cells collected from a donor) stem cell transplant, our team is here to support you.

What are stem cell transplants?

Stem cell transplants are a treatment option for certain blood disorders and cancers, including:

• Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
• Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
• Hodgkin lymphoma
• Multiple myeloma
• Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)
• Myelofibrosis
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Stem cell transplants take place after you have received treatments to destroy the diseased cells in your body. Healthy blood-forming stem cells are infused into you to help restore bone marrow destroyed by chemotherapy given to treat your cancer or other condition.

There are two main types of stem cell transplants:

• Autologous transplants, which involve cells that have come from your own body
• Allogeneic transplants, which involve cells that have come from related or unrelated donors

What to expect before a stem cell transplant

If you need a stem cell transplant, you will undergo tests to evaluate your overall health, including lung, heart, kidney and liver function testing.

If you are to get an autologous stem cell transplant, you will start by taking medications to increase the number of stem cells in your blood. Then, your stem cells will be collected and stored until it is time for your transplant.

If you are receiving an allogeneic stem cell transplant, your care team will work to identify an appropriate donor by first evaluating your relatives. If no one in your family is an appropriate match, they will work with national programs to identify a donor. Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute works closely with the National Marrow Donor Program (also known as Be the Match), which provides our clinicians with a large pool of potential tissue type-matched donors for our patients.

What to expect during and after a stem cell transplant

Once your own stem cells have been collected (for autologous transplant) or a donor has been identified and their cells have been collected (for allogeneic transplant), you will receive treatments to destroy the diseased cells in your body. These treatments will also severely damage your healthy cells, but the damage will be repaired by the transplant.

During your stem cell transplant, healthy stem cells will be infused into your body through an IV and will travel to your bone marrow to start repopulating your bloodstream with healthy blood cells.

You will stay in the hospital for a number of weeks and will have a private room that is specially designed to keep germs from coming into the space. This will keep you safe while your immune system is being rebuilt.

Your loved ones will be able to visit you during this time, and before your transplant, they will be provided with information on local lodging options (including the Hackerman-Patz House, which is located on the Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest campus).

After your stem cell transplant, your care team will monitor you closely for any signs of complications both while you are still in the hospital and as an outpatient after you return home.

World-class care and support services at Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute

The clinicians in Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute’s Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program have vast experience treating blood disorders and cancers by utilizing the latest treatments.

In addition to our specially trained physicians, advanced practice clinicians and nurses, you will have access to emotional and financial support provided by social workers, financial counselors and transplant coordinators.

Our entire stem cell transplant team will work seamlessly to support you throughout your care journey, answering any questions you or your family members have and prioritizing your comfort alongside your treatment outcomes.