What are autologous stem cells?
Autologous stem cells are your own healthy stem cells that have been collected and cryopreserved (frozen).
What is an autologous stem cell transplant?
An autologous stem cell transplant is used to treat people who have certain cancers, such as multiple myeloma, lymphoma and germ cell cancer. An autologous transplant may also be used for other non-cancer diseases such as amyloidosis.
Since you cannot live without blood cells, the high dose chemotherapy must be followed by an infusion, which is giving you back your own cells through an intravenous (IV) line or catheter.
The infusion of your stem cells is called an autologous stem cell transplant. This will allow your bone marrow to grow back and start making blood cells again. The infusion of stem cells is also called a stem cell “rescue”, because it is rescuing your normal bone marrow from dying. Without the autologous stem cell transplant, patients would not be able to have high-dose chemotherapy required to treat their cancer.
