An overview of our treatment centers follows with links to more comprehensive information at our sites of care.

Bone Marrow Transplantation

Bone marrow transplantation therapy uses both chemotherapy and the immune system to attack advanced leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma cells. Dana-Farber/Partners researchers are leading the search to maximize the beneficial effects of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) while minimizing toxicity.

Bone Marrow Transplantation has been performed jointly by specialists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital for 30 years, making it one of the nation's oldest transplant programs. It is also one of the largest and busiest BMT units, with more than 4,000 transplants to their credit, and approximately 250 cases annually. All types of blood stem cell and marrow grafting are performed-these include matched and mismatched transplants from family members or unrelated donors, cord blood transplants, autologous transplants, and identical twin transplantation. The physicians in this program have made major advances in graft-versus-host disease prevention and therapy and in graft-versus-leukemia.

Since 1993, the Bone Marrow Transplant Program at Massachusetts General Hospital has been committed to developing leading-edge strategies for autologous and allogeneic bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. It has been particularly successful in HLA-mismatched transplant strategies and for patients with multiple myeloma and kidney failure, having performed the world's first successful simultaneous kidney and bone marrow transplants from a genetically matched, living donor.

Both programs participate in the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry (IBMTR), are fully accredited with the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), are members of the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB), are accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT), and are charter members of the Blood and Marrow Transplantation Clinical Trials Network of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The transplantation units at our centers are specially designed facilities, which include standard and enhanced hepa-filtration, positive air flow pressure and laminar air flow units. Patients receive world-class care by a team of specialists, including a medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, hematopathologist, infectious disease specialist, oral surgeon, nutritionist and social worker. Patients and family members have access to support groups and educational programs; complementary therapies; and low-cost, short- and long-term housing.

Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center
Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center