With Brigham and Womens Hospital and Boston Childrens Hospital, Dana-Farber has performed thousands of stem cell/bone marrow transplants for adult and pediatric patients with blood cancers and other serious illnesses.

Whats the difference between these two terms? As it turns out, the only real distinction is in the method of collecting the stem cells.

Lets start with the basics.

Stem cells are versatile cells with the ability to divide and develop into many other kinds of cells.

Hematopoietic stem cells produce red blood cells, which deliver oxygen throughout the body; white blood cells, which help ward off infections; and platelets, which allow blood to clot and wounds to heal.

While chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy are essential treatments for the majority of cancer patients, high doses can severely weakenand even wipe outhealthy stem cells. Thats where stem cell transplantation comes in.

Stem cell transplantation is a general term that describes the procedures performed by the Adult Stem Cell Transplantation Program at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Womens Cancer Center and the Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation Program at Dana-Farber/Boston Childrens Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.

Stem cells for transplant can come from bone marrow or blood.

When stem cells are collected from bone marrow and transplanted into a patient, the procedure is known as a bone marrow transplant. If the transplanted stem cells came from the bloodstream, the procedure is called a peripheral blood stem cell transplantsometimes shortened to stem cell transplant.

Whether you hear someone talking about a stem cell transplant or a bone marrow transplant, they are still referring to stem cell transplantation. The only difference is where in the body the transplanted stem cells came from. The transplants themselves are the same.

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Stem Cell vs. Bone Marrow Transplant: Whats the ...