BMC’s Yawkey building doors are now closed as an entrance as part of our ongoing efforts to enhance our campus and provide you with the best clinical care.

All patients and visitors on our main campus must enter our hospital via Shapiro, Menino, or Moakley buildings, where they will be greeted by team members at a new centralized check-in desk before continuing to the hospital. We are excited to welcome you and appreciate your patience as we improve our facilities.

Stem Cell Transplant

Select your language:

A stem cell transplant is a procedure that uses stem cells to replace blood cells in the bone marrow that have been damaged or destroyed by chemotherapy, radiation or disease. For patients receiving a stem cell transplant, the first step is to lower the amount of cancer present in the patient’s body by induction treatment. After induction treatment, stem cells are harvested from the patient’s blood or bone marrow. Once harvested, the cells are frozen. After the stem cells have been removed, the patient receives high-dose chemotherapy to kill any leftover myeloma cells. The treatment also kills all of the remaining normal bone marrow cells. The frozen stem cells are then thawed and given back to the patient through an intravenous line in a process similar to a blood transfusion. The stem cells travel to the bone marrow where they begin to make new blood cells.