Health professionals

Should you refer a patient to MRH’s bone marrow transplant (BMT) team?

Whether of the autologous or allogeneic type, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a therapeutic procedure that can be contemplated during the regression phase of a blood disease or cancer, but it seldom constitutes the first line of treatment. In accordance with the diagnosis, the patient will initially be treated through chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Hematopoietic transplantation will be considered on the basis of the original diagnosis, the risk factors associated with the disease and the response to the treatment.

A number of other factors may influence the therapeutic strategy, including:

• the stage of the disease
• the patient’s age
• the patient’s general health
• the patient’s comorbidities
• whether or not a complete remission has been achieved
• chemosensitivity (response to the chemotherapy)
• the availability of a related donor
• in the case of allotransplantation, the degree of compatibility between the donor and the recipient
• etc.

Before referring patients to the BMT team, therefore, it is important to verify whether they are eligible for a transplant.

Indications for transplant

The following pages outline the indications for transplant used for the most common hematologic diseases by MRH’s BMT team.

• Aplastic anemia
• Acute lymphocytic leukemia
• Acute myeloid leukemia
• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia / prolymphocytic leukemia
• Chronic myeloid leukemia
• Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Multiple myeloma
• Myelodysplastic syndrome
• Myeloproliferative disorders
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria

Have any questions?

Should you have any doubts or questions about the indications for transplant, feel free to contact us.