Treatments and Programs

Cedars-Sinai's Blood and Marrow Transplant medical specialists treat both adults and children. Transplant services are provided on an inpatient or outpatient basis. The full power of the newest research results, latest technology developments and medical equipment is brought together by our team of doctors as they screen, diagnose and treat blood-based cancers.

Patients entering the program remain under the care of the same doctor throughout treatment. Continuity of care is a dominant theme within Cedars-Sinai's BMT program and distinguishes us from many other programs. When making treatment decisions and developing specific cancer-fighting strategies for individual patients, our oncologists consult together as a team.

Depending on the specifics of the case, most patients require a hospital stay while undergoing treatment. Some candidates may receive stem cell and bone marrow procedures as outpatients through the Cedars-Sinai Outpatient Cancer Center. The center operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week so experienced and knowledgeable specialists are always on call to handle emergency situations.

Continuity of care is important to us, therefore, all patients receive treatment by the same doctor during all phases of care. This type of management allows the doctor to closely monitor the patient throughout the treatment period to ensure safety and comfort.

To aid patients and families who come from distant locations, the program coordinators can provide you with a list of special discounted hotels and motels and long-term apartment space that is close by the hospital. The social workers may be able to assist you with making long-term housing arrangements.

There are many different types of transplant procedures, each of which has different complications and risks, and each of which is more appropriate for specific diseases. The choice of transplant type can be complicated and needs to be discussed in detail with your doctor.

The cells that are ultimately transplanted are known as "hematopoietic stem cells." This means that these cells are capable of producing all of the cells that circulate in the blood (red cells, that carry oxygen, white cells that fight infection, platelets that help control bleeding), along with all the cells of the immune system.

Hematopoietic stem cells can be obtained from yourself (autologous transplantation) or someone else (allogeneic transplantation). They can also be obtained from someone else, such as a relative (matched related allogeneic transplantation), a volunteer donor from the national marrow donor program (matched unrelated donor allogeneic transplantation) or from a donated umbilical cord blood (unrelated cord blood transplantation). Often we obtain hematopoietic stem cells from the bone marrow, in which case the procedure is termed bone marrow transplantation. More frequently, we obtain hematopoietic stem cells from the blood, in which case the procedure is known as mobilized peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, or stem cell transplant for short.

The risks, benefits and underlying theories for each of these transplants varies from one disease to the next and should be discussed in detail with the transplant specialist involved in your case.

Broad-based medical services are available through the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program. They include diagnostic, therapeutic and medical and ancillary support.

Ancillary Services

  • Psychosocial care
  • Outpatient rehabilitation
  • Patient and family education
  • Pain and symptom management
  • Nutrition
  • Home care
  • Pharmacy

Support Services

  • Infection Control. The Infection Control Committee, a network of professionals from different specialties, oversees strict policies and procedures in protecting against the possibility of infection. Care nurses assigned to the Blood and Marrow Transplant staff are required to complete specialized infection control training.

  • HLA Typing. Our full-service lab ranks in the top 10% of HLA facilities worldwide. It supports both blood/marrow and organ transplant programs at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The lab is responsible for performing donor/recipient crossmatching. HLA typing is the tissue matching procedure that makes transplants from other individuals possible.

  • Blood Bank and Transfusion Lab. Our state-of-the-art facility makes blood components available 24 hours a day. All blood products are irradiated on site. The lab helps with collection, processing, storage and transplantation of blood stem cells and bone marrow.

  • Quality Improvement Program. The Transplant Quality Improvement Committee oversees efforts to enhance the efficiency, availability, timeliness, appropriateness, continuity and safety of all medical processes. In addition to monitoring and reporting patient outcomes and satisfaction, the committee also makes sure patients are treated with respect and care by the entire staff.

  • Outpatient Rehabilitation. Stem cell and bone marrow transplant patients referred by their doctors may take advantage of physical, occupational and speech therapy. Rehabilitation plans are tailored to the personal needs of each patient.

  • Clinical Trials. Currently, almost 120 new cancer treatment options are being tested at Cedars-Sinai, including some on blood and marrow transplantation.

  • Research and Training. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), School of Medicine and Los Angeles Olive View Medical Center. In the area of research, Cedars-Sinai is ranked among the top 10 non-university, independent hospitals nationwide. More than 600 research projects in a variety of medical fields of study are currently in progress. Expert biostatisticians from Cedars-Sinai's Institutional Review Boards are responsible for efficient and timely reviews of clinical studies. They also help design studies and develop data collection procedures.

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