autologous bone marrow transplantation


autologous bone marrow transplantation

A procedure in which haematopoietic stem cells are extracted (apheresed) from a patient with lymphoma and other cancers, who is treated with high-dose chemo- and/or radiotherapy to eliminate malignant cells in the bone marrow. The stem cells are then administered. ABMT is a standard second-line therapy for some lymphomas; it has a low risk of infection and has no risk of graft-versus-host disease, which is typical of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. ABMT is less preferred for patients with acute myeloid leukaemia, in whom the relapse may occur as the patient’s marrow may contain malignant cells.

autologous bone marrow transplantation

Transplantation medicine The administration to an individual 'X' of his/her own BM, often to a leukemic Pt in relapse who, because a suitable HLA-matched donor is not available, would otherwise die of the disease. See Bone marrow.

autologous bone marrow transplantation

Abbreviation: ABMT
The harvesting and preservation of a patient's own blood-forming cells, followed by their eventual reintroduction into a patient. The procedure may be used to treat a variety of cancers and blood disorders. Current practice is to mobilize stem cells into the blood stream with growth factors and then to collect and filter the blood by leukapheresis. In leukapheresis stem cells are identified by a cell surface antigen called CD34. After desirable blood-forming cells with this antigen are removed from the patient's blood, high-dose chemotherapy, monoclonal antibody therapy, or radiation may be used to purge the marrow of diseased cells. Healthy CD34+ cells capable of rebuilding the bone marrow are then returned to the patient and stimulated to reproduce. Synonym: autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantationSee also: transplantation