St. Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Center is accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) for autologous stem cell transplantation, where a patient's own blood stem cells are obtained and used for infusion. As one of the premier centers for the treatment of multiple myeloma, SVCCC ensures high quality laboratory performance that complements the high quality of care offered to every patient.
Stem cell transplants may be performed at the Cancer Center. However, if you require hospitalization, your SVCCC Myeloma Team will continue to direct your care. Patients who receive this treatment usually stay in the hospital for two weeks. The blood stem cells given to the patient after high-dose chemotherapy has to start making enough blood cells before the patient can go home. Physicians monitor patients closely during this period.
Learn more about Stem Cell Transplant.
Q&A with Nurse Practitioner Ewa Chauvin, APRN, BC
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- Q: What is the role of the transplant nurse practitioner?
A: Patients who undergo stem cell transplant need a lot of support. That is why St. Vincent's has a dedicated nurse practitioner to care for transplant patients. The nurse practitioner evaluates each patient, reviews laboratory results and orders appropriate treatments on daily basis. She offers emotional support and serves as an educator. The nurse practitioner works closely with the physician and the patient to ensure the best care.
- Q: Please describe transplant process?
A: The first step in the stem cell transplantation process is to collect the stem cells from the patient and freeze them until they are ready to be transplanted back to the patient.
Before the transplant, patients receive high dose chemotherapy Melphalan. The day of the transplant patients receive intravenous fluids and are pre-medicated to prevent any possible adverse reaction. The previously harvested stem cells are then thawed in a warm water bath by the patient bedside and given back through a catheter just like a blood transfusion. Some patients notice a smell that is caused by a preservative in stem cells that can cause a "tickle" in patients' throat. Some patients' describe the smell as a burnt corn, others as fried onions. I advise patients to buy a cinnamon gum to chew during the stem cell infusion to prevent "the tickle" in their throat.
After the stem cell infusion is complete, patients receive additional intravenous fluids. They come back on daily basis for physical examination and laboratory evaluation. Appropriate treatments are ordered upon the laboratory results review. During the first few days after transplantation, the re-infused stem cells migrate to bone marrow and begin the process of producing replacement blood cells called engraftment. Until engraftment is complete, a transplant recipient is susceptible to infections and bleeding caused by low blood counts. Patients may receive red blood cell and platelet transfusions during the recovery period to help prevent anemia and bleeding. Patients start growth factor (Neupogen) to increase white blood cell count and prophylactic antibiotics to prevent infection post transplant. Once the blood counts recover, patients are discharged to home.
