Peripheral Progenitor Cell Transplant

Peripheral Progenitor Cell Transplant

This type of therapeutic medical procedure (Peripheral Progenitor Cell Transplant) is employed more and more often every day. Due to the advances of medical science, surgeons and physicians can perform and supervise the transplantation of special cells (called parent cells) which are meant to give “birth” to several other daughter cells (their progeny); the daughter cells are known to have more specialized biological and anatomical functions. The medical procedure (which is actually a transplant) can employ cells from the bone marrow and / or from the peripheral blood. In some cases, the individual himself / herself is the donor for the Peripheral Progenitor Cell Transplant (in such cases, the transplant is called an autologus procedure); however, in most cases, the donor is a relative of the patient, who has been proven to be compatible with the patient in need of transplant or an individual that is considered genetically compatible with the patient - in such cases, the procedure is called an allogeneic transplant.

If the donor for the transplant is the patient’s identical twin, the procedure is called a syngeneic intervention. This medical intervention (Peripheral Progenitor Cell Transplant) is also widely called in the medical industry the peripheral cell support procedure. In most cases, Peripheral Progenitor Cell Transplant is considered the most reliable method of replacing the blood-forming cells that are unfortunately destroyed during the therapy against cancer. This is why numerous patients who have undergone an aggressive form of therapeutic approach against a certain type of cancer may have to undergo this type of medical procedure. In this case, the stem cells are immature blood cells that circulate through the patient’s organism, through the blood. Such cells are very similar to the ones contained by the bone marrow. They are transplanted to the patient after he or she finishes their anti-cancer therapy course, as studies have shown that in the case of patients who undergo Peripheral Progenitor Cell Transplant, the bone marrow recovers faster and rapidly starts to produce healthy, new blood cells. Nowadays, such a medical procedure is routinely employed to treat different types of medical conditions.

Peripheral Progenitor Cell Transplant Description

Depending on the origin of the transplanted cells (such cells can come from the donor’s umbilical cord, from his or her peripheral blood cells or from his or her bone marrow), the Stem Cell Transplant includes 3 forms of interventions. The transplants that employ umbilical cord cells are safer (rejection rarely occurs in such cases). The umbilical cords are a potent resource for this type of medical intervention, due to the versatility and availability of the blood stem cells. The most common form of transplant employs mother cells that come from the bone marrow. This type of medical procedure is very effective in the case of patients who suffer from leukemia or from multiple other types of blood medical conditions. If the transplant is performed in an adequate manner, the mother cells will be introduced into the patient’s blood stream, and then they will migrate into the individual’s bone marrow; here, they will multiply and start producing new, healthy cells.

In the case of Peripheral Progenitor Cell Transplant, the mother cells are collected from the donor’s blood. Although most of the blood stem cells are located in the bone marrow, fewer cells can be found in the blood-stream. These cells are called PBSCs (a common abbreviation that stands for multi-potent peripheral blood stem cells); just like the bone marrow cells (of which we have informed you above) they can be employed in the therapy of various types of blood medical conditions, including leukemia (and other forms of cancerous disorders). Because these cells can be obtained from a sample of the donor’s blood, this medical procedure is less invasive than the one that employs bone marrow stem cells (these cells have to be extracted from the donor’s bones). The disadvantage of this type of medical procedure is that very few PBSCs can be found in the blood; in other words, in some cases it is challenging to collect enough cells as to perform a successful transplant.

Peripheral Progenitor Cell Transplant Related Medication

The most common medical product that is administered to patients who undergo Peripheral Progenitor Cell Transplant is called Neupogen. This clinical remedy is a man-made form of a special protein that stimulates the development and the growth of the organism’s white blood cells. These cells are able to help the patient’s organism fight against infectious conditions. Unfortunately, as with most other medical products, the administration of this drug (Neupogen) is associated with certain contra-indications and with several side effects. For example, patients who have been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, sickle cell disorder (a blood medical condition), preleukemia (myelodysplasia) or those who are undergoing a form of radiation therapy or a form of chemotherapy must not be administered this product.

Neupogen is generally administered by or under the supervision of a professional medical prescriber. Although this product is widely employed in the case of patients who undergo Peripheral Progenitor Cell Transplant, pregnant females or patients who plan to become pregnant in the foreseeable future should avoid being administered this product. Side effects that can be triggered by the injection of this medical product include: breath shortness, chills, fever, body aches, abnormal weakness, easy bleeding and / or bruising, and so on. Other side effects that are considered less severe than the previous ones include: constipation, diarrhea, loss of appetite, vomiting, nausea, tiredness, headache, hair loss, bone pain, muscle pain, etc. Other adverse manifestations affect the area in which the product has been administered / injected; in other words, some patients developed rash, redness, swelling, itching, and so on. We strongly recommend all patients who consider undergoing Peripheral Progenitor Cell Transplant to discuss with their medical provider further details about the medical products that can be employed before and after they undergo this type of clinical intervention. Your PD and you local pharmacist can provide you with further medical data about Neupogen or other medicines that would be of service to you in such circumstances.