Before the new cells enter, the old system must be cleared. Patients undergo "conditioning"—intense chemotherapy or radiation.
The cells naturally "home" to the bone cavities, where they begin to settle. 3. Engraftment: The Waiting Game For 2–4 weeks, the patient has almost no immune system. Doctors monitor blood counts daily.
You essentially become a newborn. You will likely need to repeat all childhood vaccinations. A Guide to Bone Marrow Transplantation
The healthy stem cells are infused through a central venous catheter (like a blood transfusion).
Using a donor’s cells. This is more complex but offers the "graft-versus-tumor" effect, where the new immune system actually hunts down remaining cancer cells. The Journey: A Step-by-Step Timeline 1. Preparation and Conditioning Before the new cells enter, the old system must be cleared
At its simplest, a bone marrow transplant replaces a damaged or diseased immune system with healthy stem cells. These cells are the "architects" of your blood, responsible for creating red cells (oxygen), white cells (immunity), and platelets (clotting). The Two Primary Types
(detailed cellular biology vs. patient-friendly language) You essentially become a newborn
To kill cancer cells and suppress the immune system so it won’t reject the donor cells.