Doctors use many conditioning therapies to prepare your bone marrow and immune system before infusion of the new stem cells. The process is intended to kill cancer cells and suppress your immune system before your bone marrow transplant. Reduced-intensity conditioning may be an option if you're receiving stem cells from a donor.
In reduced-intensity conditioning, you are given lower doses or different types of chemotherapy or radiation for your conditioning treatment. Reduced-intensity conditioning kills some cancer cells and somewhat suppresses your immune system. The goal is to decrease the risk of transplant-related complications. Then the donor's cells are infused into your body. Donor cells replace cells in your bone marrow over time. Immune factors in the donor cells may then fight your cancer cells.
This less intense conditioning option may be appropriate for people who aren't healthy enough for high-dose conditioning or people who are older. Your doctor will discuss with you which type of conditioning may be best for you, considering several factors, including your age, medical condition and health.
Share your experience
Share your Mayo Clinic transplant experience with others using social media.
Feb. 25, 2020
- National Marrow Donor Program. http://bethematch.org. Accessed Feb. 26, 2015.
- AskMayoExpert. Hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2015.
- AskMayoExpert. Graft-versus-host disease. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2014.
- Barbara Woodward Lips Patient Education Center. Allogeneic blood and marrow transplant (BMT). Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2010.
- Riggin EA. Allscripts EPSi. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. July 20, 2016.
- Lee SJ, et al. 5 year results of bmt ctn 0201: Unrelated donor bone marrow is associated with better psychological well-being and less burdensome chronic gvhd symptoms than peripheral blood. American Society of Hematology. Meeting abstract. https://ash.confex.com/ash/2015/webprogram/Paper80881.html. Accessed July 19, 2016.
- Adams RH (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 15, 2016.
- Geerdes PA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 17, 2012.
- Reunited and it feels pretty good. In the Loop. July 28, 2015. http://intheloop.mayoclinic.org. Accessed July 19, 2016.
- Singla A, et al. Incidence of supraventricular arrhythmias during autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 2013;19:1233.
- Hoffman R, et al. Overview of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In: Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2013. http://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed July 19, 2016.
- Dispenzieri A. POEMS syndrome: 2012 update on diagnosis, risk-stratification and management. American Journal of Hematology. 2012;87:804.
- Yang ZZ, et al. T-cell-mediated antitumor immunity in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma: Activation, suppression and exhaustion. Leukemia and Lymphoma. 2015;56:2498.
- Diseases treatable by transplants. National Marrow Donor Program. https://bethematch.org/transplant-basics/how-transplants-work/diseases-treatable-by-transplants/. Accessed July 20, 2016.
- Majhail NS, et al. Recommended screening and preventive practices for long-term survivors after hematopoietic cell transplantation. Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 2012;18:348.
- Yawn BP, et al. Management of sickle cell disease: Summary of the 2014 evidence-based report by expert panel members. JAMA. 2014;312:1033.
- NCCN member institutions. National Comprehensive Cancer Network. https://www.nccn.org. Accessed July 20, 2016.
- Cordes S, et al. Autologous stem cell transplantation in immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis with factor X deficiency. Blood Coagulation and Fibrinolysis. 2016;27:101.
- Colborn LK. Office of Access Management. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Jan. 28, 2016.
- Gertz MA, et al. Autologous stem cell transplant in 716 patients with multiple myeloma: Low treatment-related mortality, feasibility of outpatient transplant, and effect of a multidisciplinary quality initiative. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2008;83:1131.
- O'Suoji C, et al. Rare pediatric non-Hodgkin lymphomas: A report from Children's Oncology Group Study ANHL 04B1. Pediatric Blood Cancer. 2016;63:794.
- Galardy PJ, et al. Targeting childhood, adolescent and young adult non-Hodgkin lymphoma: Therapeutic horizons. British Journal of Haematology. 2016;173:625.
- Slack JL, et al. Reduced toxicity conditioning and allogeneic stem cell transplantation in adults using fludarabine, carmustine, melphalan, and antithymocyte globulin: Outcomes depend on disease risk index but not age, comorbidity score, donor type, or human leukocyte antigen mismatch. Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 2013;19:1167.
- King AA, et al. Successful matched sibling donor marrow transplantation following reduced intensity conditioning in children with hemoglobinopathies. American Journal of Hematology. 2015;90:1093.
- Mayo Clinic to grow human cells in space: Testing stroke treatment. Mayo Clinic News Network. http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org. Accessed July 20, 2016.
- Muchtar E, et al. Autologous stem cell transplant for multiple myeloma patients 70 years or older. Bone Marrow Transplant. In press.
- Ansell SM. Targeting immune checkpoints in lymphoma. Current Opinion in Hematology. 2015;22:337.
- Hashmi S, et al. Survival aster mesenchymal stromal cell therapy in steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease: Systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Haematology. 2016;1:e45-52. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed July 20, 2016.
Bone Marrow Transplant Program