What Are The Risks of Treatment

A bone marrow transplant poses numerous risks. Some people experience minimal problems with a bone marrow transplant, while others can have serious complications that require treatment or hospitalization. Sometimes, complications are life-threatening.

Your particular risks depend on many factors, including the disease or condition that caused you to need a transplant, the type of transplant, and your age and overall health.

Possible complications from a bone marrow transplant include:

Graft-versus-host disease (allogeneic transplant only)
Stem cell (graft) failure
Organ damage
Infections
Cataracts
Infertility
New cancers
Death

Your doctor can explain your risk of complications from a bone marrow transplant. Together you can weigh the risks and benefits to decide whether a bone marrow transplant is right for you.

Tommy received his bone marrow from a 21-year-old male in Italy and experienced Graft-versus-host disease. Tommy's GVHD was treated and dissipated over the course of a couple of weeks following transplant.

Graft-versus-host disease: A potential risk when stem cells come from donors

If you receive a transplant that uses stem cells from a donor (allogeneic transplant), you may be at risk of developing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). This condition occurs when the donor stem cells that make up your new immune system see your body's tissues and organs as something foreign and attack them.

GVHD may happen at any time after your transplant. Many people who have an allogeneic transplant get GVHD at some point. The risk of GVHD is a bit greater if the stem cells come from an unrelated donor, but it can happen to anyone who gets a bone marrow transplant from a donor.