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What are the risks of a stem cell transplant?

I am sorry to hear about your mother's illness. Stem cell transplantation is a form of bone marrow transplant given to people who have had very high-dose chemotherapy, while their own bone marrow recovers. The most common drug used in myeloma treatment is called melphalan. This kills the cancer cells but it also kills off normal bone marrow cells, leaving the person at high risk of developing anaemia, bleeding disorders and severe infections.

Stem cells are very young bone marrow cells, which have the potential to develop into all the different types of blood cell. They are given by infusion after the chemotherapy, having been collected from a donor or saved from previous harvesting from the person's own blood. They cleverly home in on the person's own bone marrow and start to produce new blood cells, but this takes two to four weeks.

The major risks happen during the initial recovery period. Infections and bleeding are the commonest problems, so your mother will have to stay in hospital receiving antibiotics and being protected from infections. She may be given injections of growth factors to make the transplant work more quickly and will also have blood product tranfusions. She will be in hospital probably for four to six weeks and will feel quite unwell for some of that time.

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