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Medical Oncology
Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplants
Life-saving treatments for people with blood cancers.
Saving Lives
Bone marrow and stem cell transplants can be life-saving for people with blood cancers, solid tumors and some non-cancerous blood disorders. The Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute’s Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Christiana Hospital offers today’s most advanced and sophisticated techniques for patients who need peripheral blood stem cells (those that mature into red or white blood cells, or platelets) or bone-marrow transplants, including the newest, low-dose chemotherapy “mini” transplants. Transplants may be autologous (self-donated) or allogeneic (from a related or unrelated donor).
The hematologists/oncologists who specialize in bone-marrow and stem-cell therapy are part of a multidisciplinary team of experts ready to assist you and your family as you face the challenges of recovery. This team may include members of the Lymphoma Multidisciplinary Center who meet regularly at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute.
As a candidate for bone marrow or stem cell transplantation, you will be assisted by a nurse navigator—an oncology-certified or master’s prepared oncology nurse—who will be on hand to answer your questions throughout your entire treatment. Your nurse navigator will work closely with the members of your treatment team to help you get the care and support services you need, both in and out of the hospital.
Tomorrow’s Treatments Today
New techniques for stimulating stem cells and the use of peripheral blood stem cells have led to shorter treatment times and better results for many patients. Similarly, low-dose, immunosuppressive chemotherapy and radiation prior to transplant has become a viable option, especially for older patients.
Participation in clinical research studies such as those sponsored by the National Cancer Institute’s Community Clinical Oncology Program, particularly in the Cancer and Leukemia Group B, as well as in other national and local studies, offers access to the very latest treatment protocols. A research nurse will meet with you to discuss potential participation in a clinical treatment study.
Finding the Right Match
We participate in the donor-matching program and will tailor your transplant to your body and your disease. Membership in the National Marrow Donor Program enables searches on a national and international level to locate potential bone-marrow donors who may be unrelated but whose tissue is the right match for you. We also participate in the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry and the Autologous Blood and Marrow Transplant Registry.
Serving Delaware
The Bone Marrow Transplant Unit is one of the only such programs in our region, serving patients in Delaware and surrounding communities in Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The majority of the bone-marrow and stem-cell transplants are performed on an outpatient basis. However, the bone-marrow transplant program operates a fully equipped inpatient unit for procedures requiring longer hospital stays. We can assist you and your family to find overnight accommodations when necessary.
Quality when it counts most – Institutes of Excellence™ Transplant Hospitals
Sometimes the best life-saving option may be an organ or bone marrow/stem cell transplant. These operations require a special degree of skill and care. So it’s important to look for hospitals known for quality of care. We’ve simplified the process. As a member, you have a special network of hospitals that specialize in organ and bone marrow/stem cell transplants. We call these hospitals our Institutes of Excellence™ (IOE) Transplant Hospitals. They participate in the network only for the type of transplant listed in this directory
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