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
Stem cell transplants are used to treat patients with a variety of blood-related cancers. The goal of a transplant is always the same: to cure the disease or significantly extend a patient’s life. Stem cell transplants can be used in the treatment of the following cancers: Why might a patient need a stem cell transplant? … Read more
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
Bone marrow is the soft, spongy material inside our bones. Occupying one of the most protected places in the body, it produces nearly all the components of blood. These include red blood cells, which deliver oxygen throughout the body, white blood cells, which help fight disease, and platelets needed for clotting. The marrow generates approximately … Read more
A stem cell transplant is one of the most powerful tools doctors have for treating certain kinds of cancers and blood-related diseases. The “grafted” cells involved in a transplant are known as hematopoietic stem cells, meaning they’re able to develop into all types of blood cells — red blood cells, which deliver oxygen throughout the … Read more
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
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
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
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
Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a condition that affects some patients who have received a transplant of blood-forming — or hematopoietic — stem cells from a donor. It arises when some of the transplanted donor immune cells launch an attack on the patient’s body. The effects can be mild, moderate, or, in some cases, extremely severe. … Read more
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
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
When Kevin Hoyle found out he was a match for a blood cancer patient in need of a stem cell transplant in 2015, he felt surprisingly uncomfortable — not from fear of the procedure, but because he didn’t feel he deserved the opportunity. “I’m just an ordinary guy,” he thought. “Why should I have the honor of being able to offer someone a possibly life-altering scenario?” … Read more
In 2018, Christine “Chris” Colpitt, 66, was feeling incredibly tired. The year didn’t start that way, but by May, Colpitt was finding it difficult to summon the strength to get out of her chair. Unsure of the root of her symptoms, her primary care physician asked her to come in for bloodwork. The results indicated … Read more
Barely a year apart in age, brothers Dave and Mike Winslow have always been close. So when Dave learned that he needed a allogeneic bone marrow transplant due to a blood cancer known as myelofibrosis, it was fitting — and fortuitous — that Mike was the perfect match to be his donor. This fall, most … Read more
When Liz Bowen first learned she would need a stem cell transplant, she had no idea she’d be making history as the first outpatient stem cell transplant patient in New England. Bowen, 55, was diagnosed with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of skin lymphoma, in 2017. Her care team at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center … Read more
As a fruit and vegetable farmer, Douglas Young measures his life’s work by the seasons. Since receiving a stem cell transplant for his rare blood cancer, he has been able to enjoy more harvests than he once thought possible — inspiring him to seek out the stranger responsible for saving his life. In spring 2019, … Read more
Reduced-intensity stem cell transplants, which don’t require the traditional week-long hospital stay, are offered to qualified patients at many cancer treatment centers across the country, including Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center. These outpatient transplants (also known as ambulatory transplants) are identical in virtually every respect to those performed on an inpatient basis, with the exception … Read more
For most of his life, Jim Calhoun never paid attention to college football; his football fandom started and ended with the New York Giants. This year, however, he’ll be closely following the team at Tulane University — in particular, the offensive lineman who saved his life. In 2017, Calhoun, now 45, was diagnosed with acute … Read more
There was a time when Georgette Hannoush couldn’t imagine a bright future. In a four-year span, the mother of four—including triplets—was diagnosed with two different types of cancer. But because of her team at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Hannoush has been in remission for more than three years—and she credits her faith and the people she … Read more