Mini Transplant Process
Learn More About A Mini Stem Cell Transplant: Chat with Us | Email Us
Another transplant option: Reduced Intensity Conditioning Regimen and Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant "Minitransplant"
A "minitransplant" is a type of allogeneic transplant that is being studied in clinical trials at CTCA for the treatment of several types of cancer, including leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), lymphoma, multiple myeloma, breast cancer and kidney cancer.
A "minitransplant" uses lower, less toxic, doses of chemotherapy and/or TBI to prepare the patient for an allogeneic transplant. The use of low doses of anticancer drugs and TBI eliminates some, but not all, of the patient’s bone marrow. It also suppresses the patient's immune system to prevent rejection of the transplant. Unlike traditional bone marrow transplant (BMT) or peripheral blood stem cell transplant (PBSCT), bone marrow cells from both the donor and the patient may exist in the patient's body for some time after a "minitransplant".
Once the bone marrow cells from the donor begin to engraft, they may cause what is called a "graft versus tumor effect" and may work to destroy the cancer cells that were not eliminated by the anticancer drugs and/or TBI. To boost the "graft versus tumor effect", you may be given an injection of your donor's lymphocytes (immune cells). This procedure is called a “donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI).”