Bone Marrow Transplant
A bone marrow transplant, also called a stem cell transplant, is a procedure that replaces diseased or damaged bone marrow with healthy blood-forming stem cells. It is used to treat certain blood cancers, bone marrow failure conditions and some inherited blood disorders after other treatments have prepared the body to receive the new cells.
Understanding Bone Marrow Transplant
Bone marrow is the soft tissue inside your bones where blood cells are made. In some blood cancers and bone marrow disorders, the marrow either stops working properly or is destroyed by high-dose treatment aimed at eliminating disease. A bone marrow transplant (BMT), also known as a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, replaces that marrow with healthy blood-forming stem cells so the body can resume making normal red cells, white cells and platelets.
There are two broad types. In an autologous transplant, a patient's own stem cells are collected, stored, and given back after high-dose therapy. In an allogeneic transplant, stem cells come from a matched donor, typically a sibling, a matched unrelated donor, or in some cases a haploidentical (half-matched) family member. The choice depends on the underlying condition, the availability of a suitable donor, and the patient's overall health.
BMT is considered for select cases of leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, aplastic anemia, and certain inherited disorders such as thalassemia, when a haematologist determines that transplant offers a meaningful treatment path. It is a significant undertaking that requires careful workup, a period of intensive inpatient care, and months of follow-up, and it is planned individually for each patient by the treating team.
What the treatment involves
Pre-transplant evaluation and workup
Before transplant, you undergo a detailed evaluation including blood tests, organ function tests, imaging and disease-status assessment to confirm you are fit for the procedure and to plan the right transplant type.
Donor selection or stem cell collection
For allogeneic transplants, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing is used to find a matched donor. For autologous transplants, your own stem cells are collected in advance and cryopreserved (frozen) until needed.
Conditioning therapy
You receive chemotherapy, sometimes combined with other treatment, over several days to reduce disease burden and prepare your body's immune system to accept the incoming stem cells.
Stem cell infusion
Healthy stem cells are infused into your bloodstream through a central line, much like a blood transfusion. This is usually a straightforward, non-surgical procedure on the day of transplant, referred to as Day 0.
Engraftment and inpatient monitoring
Over the following two to four weeks, you are closely monitored, usually as an inpatient, while the new stem cells travel to the bone marrow and begin producing new blood cells, a process called engraftment. Supportive care manages infection risk, bleeding risk and other effects during this period.
Post-transplant follow-up
After discharge, regular follow-up visits track blood counts, immune recovery and, for allogeneic transplants, monitoring for graft-versus-host disease, with visit frequency gradually reduced as recovery progresses over months.
Who this treatment may be considered for
What to expect
Transplant involves an inpatient hospital stay, typically spanning several weeks, in a monitored setting designed to reduce infection risk during the period when blood counts are low.
Common effects during conditioning and the early post-transplant period include fatigue, nausea, mouth sores and a temporarily weakened immune system; the care team provides supportive medication to manage these.
For allogeneic transplants, ongoing monitoring for graft-versus-host disease continues for months after discharge, along with gradual tapering of immunosuppressive medication under medical guidance.
Recovery timelines vary by transplant type and individual response; full immune recovery can take many months, during which precautions around infection and diet are typically advised.
Family involvement and logistical planning, including caregiver support during the inpatient stay, are an important part of preparing for transplant.
Why choose AP Blood & Blood Cancer Centre
AP Blood & Blood Cancer Centre is a single-specialty hematology practice, meaning transplant planning, conditioning protocols and post-transplant follow-up are handled within a focused clinical framework rather than as one service among many in a general hospital setting.
Dr. Amarnadh Polisetty is a DNB-qualified clinical haematologist whose clinical experience includes managing more than 500 bone marrow transplant patients as part of specialist transplant teams. Treatment planning at the centre follows protocols aligned with recognized national and international hematology guidelines, and is individualized to each patient's diagnosis and health status.
Common questions about Bone Marrow Transplant
Medically reviewed by Dr. Amarnadh Polisetty, MD, DNB (Clinical Haematology)
Last reviewed on 1 July 2026
Considering a bone marrow transplant?
Speak with a clinical haematologist to understand whether bone marrow transplant is an appropriate option for your diagnosis.