Bone Marrow Transplantation

Bone marrow transplantation — more precisely termed haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) — involves replacing diseased or damaged bone marrow with healthy stem cells capable of reconstituting a functional immune and haematopoietic system. SilverOak Health's transplant programme performs both autologous transplantation (using the patient's own stem cells collected after high-dose chemotherapy mobilisation) and allogeneic transplantation (using stem cells from a matched sibling, unrelated donor, or haploidentical family member).

Autologous HSCT is the standard of care for eligible patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and multiple myeloma, delivering high-dose chemotherapy that would produce irreversible marrow failure without stem cell rescue. The procedure involves stem cell collection by leukapheresis, high-dose conditioning chemotherapy, and stem cell infusion, followed by a period of severe immunosuppression until engraftment occurs — typically 10 to 14 days after infusion.

Allogeneic HSCT offers the potential for a curative graft-versus-leukaemia (GVL) immune effect mediated by donor T lymphocytes attacking residual cancer cells, and is the treatment of choice for high-risk acute leukaemias, myelodysplastic syndrome, and aplastic anaemia. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) — in which donor immune cells attack host tissues — remains the principal complication of allogeneic transplantation and is managed with prophylactic and therapeutic immunosuppression. Our transplant unit provides stem cell infusions, total parenteral nutrition, haematological support, and infection surveillance within a HEPA-filtered positive-pressure environment, supported by our infectious disease, gastroenterology, and dermatology teams for GVHD management.