SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center
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Stem Cell Transplants

Stem cells are cells in the body that have the potential to turn into anything, such as a skin cell, a liver cell, a brain cell, or a blood cell. Stem cells that turn into blood cells are called hematopoietic (heh-mat-uh-poy-EH-tik) stem cells. These cells are capable of developing into the three types of blood cells:

  1. red blood cells that carry oxygen
  2. white blood cells that fight infection
  3. platelets that help blood to clot

Hematopoietic stem cells can be found in bone marrow (the spongy tissue inside bones), the bloodstream, and the umbilical cord blood of newborn babies.



Types of Transplants

The two main types of stem cell transplants are autologous (aw-TAHL-uh-gus) and allogeneic (al-uh-juh-NEE-ik). The type of transplant needed will depend on the child's specific medical condition and the availability of a matching donor.

  • Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant. With this type of transplant, patients act as their own donor. For instance, a child who is about to undergo cancer treatment will have his or her own stem cells removed (harvested) and frozen for later use. After the child receives chemotherapy and/or radiation, the stem cells are thawed and put back into the child's body.


    Unlike with an autologous transplant, there is a risk of a child's body rejecting the donated cells. This means that the body's own immune cells destroy the transplanted stem cells because they sense they are foreign. Sometimes, despite the donor being a good match, the transplant simply may not take. Other times, the donor cells can begin to make immune cells that attack the recipient's body. This condition is called graft-versus-host disease, and can be quite serious. Fortunately, most cases are successfully treated with steroids and other medicines.





  3. Cord blood stem cells are collected from the umbilical cord (the part of the placenta that delivers nutrients to a fetus) immediately after a baby is born and the umbilical cord is clamped and cut.




Soon after the conditioning phase, the transplant itself will be done through intravenous (IV) infusion, and healthy stem cells will be introduced to the child's body. After the infusion, the child will be watched very closely to make sure the new stem cells are settling into the marrow and beginning to make new blood cells (called engrafting). Doctors will watch for any signs of rejection as well as graft-verses-host disease in kids with allogeneic transplants.



Kids who receive stem cell transplants have a high risk of infection. During conditioning therapy and while the transplant is engrafting, their immune systems are weakened and unable to fight bacteria and other germs that enter the body. Children who receive an allogeneic transplant have an even greater risk of infection because they require medicines to further suppress their immune systems to reduce the chance of rejection.




The stress of having a child who is being treated for cancer or another serious condition can be overwhelming for a family. That stress can grow when treatment requires a long "isolation period," as is necessary with a stem cell transplant.


Reviewed by: Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, MD
Date reviewed: August 2015