At Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, part of Sutter Cancer Centers, our stem cell transplant program offers treatment options for people with leukemia, multiple myeloma and lymphoma. Though stem cell transplants offer effective treatments for many conditions, you need to be aware that complications can occur. The two most common complications of stem cell transplants are those related to the blood and those related to other organs of the body. In addition, it is possible for the donor’s blood cells to conflict with your body, creating a condition called graft-versus-host disease.

Blood Problems

If you received high-dose chemotherapy without stem cell infusion, it would take your body more than six months to produce blood cells again. Because our bodies require constant generation of new blood cells to function properly, no one can afford to wait six months. By infusing your own (autologous) or a donor’s (allogeneic) stem cells into your body after high-dose treatment, the period of no-cell production, known as aplasia, is usually about two weeks. During that time, all blood cell counts go down and you will receive blood transfusions with red cells and platelets. The average blood transfusion is between four to 10 units of blood. Antibiotics are also given during the period of aplasia to fend off potential infections. Because the blood counts are very low and you are susceptible to infection, you stay in the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program’s controlled hospital unit at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento to minimize potential problems.

Organ Problems

High-dose chemotherapy can be difficult for your body’s organs to tolerate. Temporary injury to the liver, lungs, heart, kidneys, intestines, and mouth are somewhat common, but rarely fatal. Testing prior to transplant ensures that these organs are working properly. In people with healthy organs, the chance of irreversible damage is less than 5 percent.

Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Unless the donor is an identical twin, any time a person receives stem cells from a donor there is a possibility of a conflict. In organ transplants, your immune system sometimes rejects the donor’s organ. In stem cell transplants, the donor’s stem cells replace your immune system and may begin to attack your body. Either acute or chronic graft-versus-host disease may develop and is generally treatable using drugs designed to suppress the immune system.