Stem cell/Bone marrow transplant

What’s the Difference Between Outpatient Stem Cell Transplants and Inpatient Transplants?

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A stem cell transplant is a procedure during which doctors either replace diseased or ineffective stem cells with healthy new stem cells as treatment for leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood cancers or diseases. The infusion of healthy stem cells reestablishes a healthy blood supply and rebuilds the body’s immune system to effectively fight cancer.   At Dana-Farber, patients can be eligible for a stem cell transplant in either an outpatient or inpatient setting. This is often determined by a variety of factors, including … Read more

Still Skiing at 82 After Stem Cell Transplant 

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Dienna Lehner grew up in a Massachusetts town with a small ski hill and a rope tow.   “It was hot dogs, tomato soup, and an outdoor fireplace,” she recalls. “And it was Nirvana.”  Later in life, she opted to spend her winters in Park City, Utah, to enjoy big mountain skiing. The conditions have been mild this year, but last year she skied all season – which … Read more

Bond with Clinical Team Helps Retiree Through MDS and Stem Cell Transplant

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Bill Kelley’s unbreakable bond with the clinical team that guided him through myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a group of rare blood disorders impacting the bone marrow, and a stem cell transplant was never more evident than during a Sunday night in the summer of 2025.  Kelley’s sister Joan had arranged a surprise 70th birthday baseball outing for him and 30 of his friends and family members at Boston’s Fenway Park, where Kelley had grown up … Read more

Donating Her Blood Stem Cells to Patient is a No-Brainer for Dana-Farber Staffer 

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The call from the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) seemed to come from out of nowhere, but it bore some hopeful news: Dana-Farber senior project manager Alexandria Monteiro’s stem cells were a match for a stranger with leukemia who needed a stem cell transplant.  “I don’t remember signing up,” Monteiro admits, “but based on who I know myself to be,” she continues, “it does sound like something I would have done.”  … Read more

Stem Cell Transplant Recipient Forms Powerful Bond with Doctor and Donor  

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“The world needs more Dr. Soiffers – and more Nicoles.”  Such is the wisdom of Judy Mangione, 80, who credits these two individuals for the fulfilling life she is enjoying with her husband, Bob, and their combined six children and 10 grandchildren.  Robert Soiffer, MD, treated Mangione with the January 2022 stem cell transplant that … Read more

Artist Explores the Renewal and Healing of Stem Cell Transplants 

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In 2023, Denise “Necee” Regis was brought face to face with her old art studio building on Brookline Avenue. As she walked by, she was able to identify the window that belonged to the room where she once spent the late 70s and early 80s working on a Master of Fine Arts at the Massachusetts … Read more

Access to Stem Cell Transplant Expands with Novel Methods 

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A white patient looking for a stem cell donor has about a 75% chance of finding a fully-matched unrelated donor in the U.S. NMDP Registry. A fully matched donor has the same human leukocyte antigen (HLA) type, a set of eight genetic variables that dictate how the immune system communicates.   Finding a fully matched donor … Read more

After Outpatient Stem Cell Transplant, MDS Survivor Writes New Chapter 

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David Trueblood’s long career in journalism was shaped by new technology, including the rise of digital photography and the impact of online media. So, upon learning in early 2023 that he would need a stem cell transplant due to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a rare blood disorder impacting his bone marrow, Trueblood appreciated the role innovation … Read more

Patient is First at Dana-Farber to Undergo Outpatient Stem Cell Transplant for Myeloma 

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In most ways, Bill Ross’s stem cell transplant for multiple myeloma at Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center (DFBCC) wasn’t out of the ordinary. He received chemotherapy to destroy the tumor cells in his body and then an infusion of his own hematopoietic stem cells, which flocked to his bone marrow and regenerated his blood supply. Over … Read more

Clinical Trial Offers Lessons for Patient and Researchers 

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When the time came for Jeffrey Ferreira to undergo a stem cell transplant for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), his Dana-Farber hematologist, Corey Cutler, MD, MPH, had some intriguing news: he was eligible for a clinical trial of a new approach to lowering the risk of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a common and sometimes severe aftereffect … Read more

Can Stem Cell Transplants Cure Cancer?

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Stem cell transplantation refers to transplants of blood-forming stem cells taken from the bone marrow or collected from the bloodstream. Autologous transplants use the patient’s own stem cells, while allogeneic transplants use stem cells provided by a donor. Stem cell transplants offer some patients with blood-related cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma the … Read more

Autologous or Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplants: Which Will My Doctor Recommend?

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Both allogeneic and autologous stem cell transplants involve treating a patient with chemotherapy followed by an infusion of blood-forming stem cells, with a goal of curing the cancer or extending the time before the disease relapses. In adults, transplants are used to treat a range of blood-related cancers, myelodysplastic syndromes, and non-malignant blood disorders. Autologous … Read more

Donor Transplants Paved the Way for Today’s Immune and Cellular Therapies

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To understand the genesis of the bone marrow transplant field, go back to the detonation, in 1945, of the first nuclear weapons and the shadow of the Atomic Age. The search for ways to rescue the blood-forming and immune systems of individuals exposed to high doses of radiation provided the impetus for donor bone marrow … Read more

Early Stem Cell Transplant Recipient Says Success Was ‘In the Bag’

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By Howard Brown As the Adult Stem Cell Transplant Program at Dana-Farber celebrates its 50th anniversary, one cancer survivor whose 1990 transplant came when the procedure was far more arduous — and far less successful — reflects on his experience. I have a four-by-three-inch plastic bag that I’ve saved for more than 32 years. It’s … Read more

Outpatient Transplant Patient #100 Has Thanksgiving to Remember

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Tom McLaughlin would have rather spent Thanksgiving week at home with his extended family, but under the circumstances the 76-year-old grandfather said he was very happy where he was — and still had much to be thankful for. On November 23, McLaughlin became the 100th patient to receive an outpatient stem cell transplant at Dana-Farber … Read more

Study Results Support Stem Cell Transplantation for Older Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes

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Although stem cell transplantation is the only current therapy with the potential to cure myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), it is rarely used as an initial treatment for older patients because it hasn’t been proven superior to other therapies. New research by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators stands to overturn that practice. In a clinical trial involving 384 … Read more