Robin's Plea for Stem Cell Donors
- Breast cancer survivor Robin Robters, 60, treated her disease with a bone marrow transplant and now she’s asking for help on behalf of Nicky, a man battling cancer who needs a stem cell transplant.
- Stem cell transplants may be used as a treatment for certain types of cancers, like lymphoma.
- Risks associated with this type of transplant may include infection, due to a weakened immune system.
Roberts uses the term “stem cell” for the man’s transplant, but it can also be called a “bone marrow” transplant. The opportunity to be a life-saving donor for someone like Roberts, or the man she’s trying to help, Nicky, is a powerful way to have a profoundly positive impact on someone’s life. You can sign up to donate at bethematch.org.
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Roberts’ post included that he was recently diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), which is a rare blood disorder that will turn into leukemia.
What Are Stem Cell Transplants?
Stem cell transplants are used as a treatment for some types of cancer. “The goal of the [stem cell] transplant is to kill off as many cancerous cells as possible through a round of high dosage chemotherapy,” said Dr. Paul Richardson in a previous interview. “The stem-cell transplant itself is actually used as a rescue therapy to replenish healthy cells following the harsh chemotherapy.”
Related: Stem Cell Transplant for Multiple Myeloma Side Effects
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Caitlin Costello, a Hematologist-Oncologist at UC San Diego Health, said, “The things we consider for patients who may need an autologous stem cell transplant is number one their disease.”
Related: Autologous Stem Cell Transplant: What to Expect
Dr. Costello explained that a stem cell transplant is more effective for certain diseases. “There are some diseases for whom this works better than others,” she said. “It’s most commonly used in relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, but there are other lymphomas, mantle cell lymphoma for whom which patients oftentimes get and I’ll autologous stem cell transplant as soon as they achieve remission. Or something close to it.”
Related: What To Expect During Recovery After a Stem-Cell Transplant For AML
For people with more aggressive forms of lymphoma, this kind of transplant may be required. “There are more low grade lymphomas for whom which patients who have a more aggressive disease course or a poorer response to treatment that may require it or may be recommended to undergo autologous stem cell transplant as well.”
Is a Stem Cell Transplant Right for You?
Risks of Stem Cell Transplants
Dr. Costello noted that there are risks to be aware of when going through with a stem cell transplant. In an earlier interview with SurvivorNet she said, “The greatest risks of an autologous stem cell transplant are really twofold. I think the most important one is the risk of infections. Throughout this process, we are going to really take away your immune system. It’s for a short period of time. Realistically, your immune system will be severely weakened, probably for about a week-long period.”
Related: Post-Remission Therapy For AML: Allogeneic Stem-Cell Transplant
The other risk, she said, has to do with chemotherapy. “The second risk associated with an autologous stem cell transplant is unfortunately and ironically the chemotherapy itself. So here we are using chemotherapy to potentially cure you of your Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but they’re high doses of chemotherapy that can have side effects. Part of understanding your body’s strength before we do all this is to understand if you could tolerate some weakening of your heart should that happen or of your lungs, or kidneys, or whatever that may be.”
Stem Cell Transplant: Know the Risks
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