National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Bone Marrow Transplantation is the National Cancer Institute
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Bone Marrow Transplantation
Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside some of your bones, such as your hip and thigh bones. It contains immature cells, called stem cells. The stem cells can develop into the red blood cells that carry oxygen through your body, the white blood cells that fight infections, and the platelets that help with blood clotting.
If there is a problem with your bone marrow, a transplant can give you healthy new marrow. You could need a transplant because of a disease, such as bone marrow diseases or cancers like leukemia or lymphoma. Or you might need one if a strong cancer treatment kills your healthy blood cells.
People with cancer sometimes donate bone marrow before treatment to be transplanted later. But often the new marrow comes from a donor, either a close family member or someone unrelated.
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Start Here
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Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplant(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Bone Marrow Transplantation and Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation: Questions and Answers(National Cancer Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
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Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplant
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
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Learn More
, and
Multimedia & Cool Tools
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For group Basics
For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
, and
For You
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For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
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Overviews
- Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplantation(Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Patient Frequently Asked Questions: Bone Marrow and Cord Blood Transplants(National Marrow Donor Program)
- Transplant Process(American Cancer Society)
- Understanding Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option(Health Resources and Services Administration)
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Latest News
- 'Half-Match' Marrow Transplants Help Some with Sickle Cell(09/21/2012, HealthDay)
- HIV Undetectable in Two Men After Bone Marrow Transplants(07/26/2012, HealthDay)
- HIV Drug May Prevent Bone Marrow Transplant Complication(07/11/2012, HealthDay)
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Nutrition
- Safe Eating(National Marrow Donor Program)
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Rehabilitation/Recovery
- Guide to Protecting Your Health After an Allogeneic Transplant: Recommended Tests and Procedures(Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research) - PDF
- Guide to Protecting Your Health After an Autogolous Transplant: Recommended Tests and Procedures(Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research) - PDF
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Coping
- Getting Better - Physically and Emotionally(National Marrow Donor Program)
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Related Issues
- After-Transplant Problems That May Show Up Later(American Cancer Society)
- Caregiving: Helping Your Loved One through Transplant(National Marrow Donor Program)
- Choosing a Transplant Center(National Marrow Donor Program)
- Discussing Options with Your Doctor(National Marrow Donor Program)
- Donor Experience (Stem Cells)(American Cancer Society)
- Donor Selection & Transplant Process(National Marrow Donor Program)
- Learning More about Your Disease(National Marrow Donor Program)
- Planning for a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT)(Health Resources and Services Administration)
- Problems That May Come Up Shortly After Transplant(American Cancer Society)
- Reduced-Intensity Transplants(National Marrow Donor Program)
- Sexual Health Problems(National Marrow Donor Program)
- Working with Your Health Care Team(National Marrow Donor Program)
- You and Survivorship(National Marrow Donor Program)
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Pictures & Photographs
- Bone-marrow transplant - slideshow
- Also available in Spanish
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Videos
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Becoming a Blood Stem Cell Donor(National Cancer Institute)
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Becoming a Blood Stem Cell Donor
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Financial Issues
- Planning for Transplant Costs(National Marrow Donor Program)
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Bone Marrow Transplantation(National Institutes of Health)
- Learning about Clinical Trials(National Marrow Donor Program)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Bone Marrow Transplantation
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Research
- Advances in Transplant: Helping More Patients(National Marrow Donor Program)
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Dictionaries/Glossaries
- National Marrow Donor Program: Glossary(National Marrow Donor Program)
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Directories
- Organizations That Can Help: A Searchable Directory(National Marrow Donor Program)
- Transplant Center Search Form(BMT InfoNet)
- U.S. NMDP Transplant Centers(National Marrow Donor Program)
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Organizations
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National Cancer Institute
- Also available in Spanish
- National Marrow Donor Program
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National Cancer Institute
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Statistics
- How to Understand NMDP Transplant Center Statistics(National Marrow Donor Program)
- Understanding Survival Outcomes Data(National Marrow Donor Program)
- United States Transplant Data (Bone Marrow and Cord Blood)(Health Resources and Services Administration)
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MedlinePlus Magazine
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Children
- Getting Ready for Your Child's Transplant: A Parent Checklist(National Marrow Donor Program) - PDF
- When Your Child Needs a Transplant(National Marrow Donor Program)
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Teenagers
- Supporting Your Teenager through Transplant(National Marrow Donor Program)
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Patient Handouts
- Bone marrow transplant
- Also available in Spanish
- Bone marrow transplant - discharge
- Also available in Spanish
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
