Stem cell apheresis for bone marrow transplant? how does this work and is it safe? i thought bone marrow stem cells were inside your bones, so how can you collect them from your blood? also, can your body make more bone marrow without the stem cells?

Most : Most bone marrow stem cells are inside you bones, some are floating around. When given a medication/natural substance called gcsf or Neupogen more stem cells are found in the peripheral blood. These can be removed by a machine that filters your blood. An IV is placed in two places, your blood is removed, filtered and returned. You are left with stem cells so you too continue to make blood.

Dr Namey agreed

Peripheral : Peripheral blood stem cell apheresis is the standard methodology for collecting hematopoietic stem cells to perform a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (alternative name: peripheral blood stem cell transplant, bone marrow transplant (using similar cells collected from bone marrow). This is a relatively safe procedure. Over 14 million people world wide have agreed to participate in donating peripheral blood stem cells for patients who need to undergo a bone marrow transplant/hematopoietic stem cell transplant procedure for leukemia and other blood cancers. Siblings who share a similar immune system type may also serve as a donor for their brother/sister who need to undergo a transplant. Apheresis is generally a safe procedure. Donation of hematopoietic stem cells does not have long term adverse effects based upon evaluation of thousands of donors during the past several decades. For a "normal donor", the procedure requires an initial physical examination and blood work. The procedure requires several days of receiving a "growth factor" such as Neupogen (g-csf) to stimulate the donor's bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells. On the day of collection, the donor undergoes apheresis collection. The procedure is similar to the donation of platelets in that the person sits in a chair next to an apheresis machine, and over about 3-4 hours the stem cells are removed from the blood. This is often performed in the outpatient setting. For more information, contact www.Marrow.Org and be the match at the national marrow donor program.

Dr Namey agreed