Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) has been used to treat lymphoma for over ten years, much of that time on a trial basis but 

marrow is taken from the bones before treatment. The marrow is then frozen, and the patient is given high-dose chemotherapy with or without radiation therapy to treat the cancer. The marrow that was taken out is then thawed and given back through a needle in a vein to replace the marrow that was destroyed. This type of transplant is called an autologous transplant. If the marrow given is taken from another person, the transplant is called an allogeneic transplant.

Another type of autologous transplant is called a peripheral blood stem cell transplant (PBSCT). The patient's blood is passed through a machine that removes the stem cells (immature cells from which all blood cells develop), then returns the blood to the body. This procedure is called apheresis and usually takes 3 or 4 hours over one or more days to complete. The stem cells may be treated with drugs to kill any cancer cells and then frozen until they are transplanted back to the patient. This procedure may be done alone or with an autologous bone marrow transplant. Studies have shown that PBSCT results in shorter hospital stays, is safer, and more cost effective than BMTs.

Some centers have looked into transplants after first remission as a preventative measure.

Information is again key to getting a grip on transplants. Besides the information below, consider joining the bmt-talk mailing list hosted by Laurel Simmons (below under Support).

Lymphoma BMT & PBSCT Information

Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Information from the US National Cancer Institute (updated link)

The Blood and Marrow Transplant Newsletter (formerly the BMT Newsletter) is the source of information on transplants. They have a great website with an archive of their information and online books.

The Treatment Process from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (updated link)

Apheresis / Stem Cell Collection

Donor Programs

• US National Bone Marrow Donor Program
• The Cord Blood Registry - a US registry for Umbilical cord blood - a new source of stem cells for transplants
• Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide  
• Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust (UK)
• CorCell is a national cord blood collection service

Transplant Centers

• Find a center in the US - by the National Marrow Donor Program (US) 
• The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance,  Well known for their transplant programs, Seattle, Washington
• MD Anderson Cancer Center Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at Univ. of Texas 
• University of Nebraska Medical Center (updated)
• The University of Colorado BMT Program  
• Rush University Medical Center, Chicago  
• Duke University BMT Program, Durham, NC  
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Pediatric SCT
• Johns Hopkins University Kimmel Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD  
• University of Minnesota Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Minneapolis   (updated)
• Suggestions taken - e-mail them in

Studies

• Abstract - Benefit of Autologous Bone Marrow Transplantation Over Sequential Chemotherapy in Poor-Risk Aggressive Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Updated Results of the Prospective Study LNH87-2, Haioun et al, 1997. 

Lymphoma BMT and Stem Cell Experiences

• Mark Patton is the self-proclaimed "World's Most Transplanted Person", having had 2 BMTs and 3 PBSCTs in the last 14 years.  On his site www.BMTresources.org, he has valuable information and his book - Over 140 Things You Need to Know about Your Autologous Bone Marrow or Stem Cell Transplant. (new)
• Kaye's Stem Cell Questions and Answers
• Tony is a Large Cell NHL survivor who underwent a bone marrow transplant.  He has a great site. 

Care and Supportive Information

Catheters and Ports

• The Facts About Intravenous Catheter Lines
• Information on Ports from Li's Pages

Other BMT Resources

Support

• Consider joining the bmt-talk mailing list. More information is on the Mailing List page.

For more information on conditions relating to transplants, please see the following pages:

The Home Page - your guide to support and more

The Lymphoma Information Network

This page is a work in progress - if you have more complete information, references, or other information please contact the author. The author is not in the medical field and does not warrant the correctness of the material on this page or the sites linked - please take online information and consult with your own medical team to make informed decisions.