Video: Bone Marrow Transplantation Innovations

Advances in supportive care, better understanding of the immune system, and more-accurate tissue matching have dramatically improved the safety and effectiveness of bone marrow transplantation, says Sergio Giralt, Chief of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Giving lower doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation before transplantation has made it possible to treat older patients. Antibiotics and antifungals are used to prevent infections after chemotherapy and radiation. Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering are developing new growth factors to help rebuild the immune system after a transplant.