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For some people with sickle cell disease, blood and marrow transplant may offer the possibility of long-term disease control or potential cure.
Fred Hutch Cancer Center providers have extensive experience performing blood and marrow transplants and caring for people with complex blood disorders.
Sickle Cell Disease Care Tailored to You
You and your family are our top priority. At Fred Hutch Cancer Center, we offer comprehensive and compassionate care — personalized to you. You'll have access to the latest treatment options, clinical trials and supportive care services.
When Blood and Marrow Transplant May Be Recommended
Blood and marrow transplant (BMT) is not appropriate for every patient.
Your physician will evaluate your overall health, medical history and individual circumstances to determine whether transplantation should be considered as part of your treatment plan.
If you have a BMT, a team of Fred Hutch transplant experts will care for you. Your team will include a transplant oncologist, transplant nurse, radiation oncologist, advanced practice providers, pharmacist, registered dietitian, patient care coordinator and social worker.
What is a blood and marrow transplant?
A BMT resets your body’s ability to make healthy blood cells by replacing abnormally forming stem cells with healthy cells. Researchers at Fred Hutch pioneered this form of treatment.
It’s important to understand that when a BMT is used to treat your sickle cell disease it isn’t a one-time event. It is a process that involves several steps as well as meetings with your care team, and will take about four months.
“A misconception about BMT is that it is almost impossible to find a donor, particularly if you are from a certain race or ethnicity. This used to be true, but not now. Today, treatments and techniques have improved, too, which are making BMTs even more successful.”
— Marco Mielcarek, MD, PhD, Medical Director, Adult Blood and Marrow Transplant Program
Why Choose Fred Hutch for Blood and Marrow Transplant for Sickle Cell Disease
The world’s first bone marrow transplant took place in the 1970s, when one of our physician-researchers, E. Donnall Thomas, MD, and his team developed the clinical use of transplants — and won a Nobel Prize for this work.
Physicians at the Fred Hutch Blood and Marrow Transplant Program have done more than 18,500 transplants, including for people with sickle cell disease. This makes our program not only the first, but also one of the most respected and successful of its kind in the world.
