Autologous Stem Cell TransplantationSometimes in order to eradicate cancer, the stem cells that are producing unhealthy cells need to be eliminated and replaced. For this purpose, autologous stem cell transplantation shows some promise.
This has been used extensively in leukemia. High doses of chemotherapy are used to kill the cancerous cells in the bone marrow of a patient. These cells are then replaced by an infusion of stem cells that are autologous to the original marrow cells – that is, they are collected from the patient's own small store of bone marrow.
Recently scientists have discovered that stem cells exist almost everywhere in the human body, waiting to be called into action for specific purposes. In the case of leukemia, stem cells are collected from the patient prior to chemotherapy, screened for any traces of cancer, and then processed, frozen, and stored. The cells are then replaced in the patient, where they will become marrow cells and create cancer-free blood cells, provided everything works properly.
Autologous stem cell transplantation can be used to treat several types of cancer, and is not a treatment of last resort.
Web Resources On Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation
Stem Cell Transplant Information
What is autologous stem cell transplant?
Book Resources On Autologous Stem Cell TransplantationAutologous Stem Cell Transplantation: Biological and Clinical Results in Malignancies by Angelo Carrella
Autologous Stem Cell Transplants: A Handbook for Patients by Susan K. Stewart
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