What to Expect When Making an Appointment for a Stem Cell Transplant

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It’s normal to be nervous before you make your first appointment with us. Our dedicated stem cell transplant experts are there to make it easier for you. So that we can help you find the best doctor for your particular condition, we may ask you questions such as:

For more information or to make an appointment with a Memorial Sloan Kettering doctor in the Bone Marrow Transplant Service, please call our consultation line at 877-836-ABMT (2268).
  • What is your diagnosis? When did you receive it?
  • Were you told what type of transplant you need?
  • Do you have a sibling donor or other donor lined up? Was HLA typing done?
  • Was a donor search done?
  • What medical tests have been performed?
  • What other medical conditions do you have?

We can also answer your questions about insurance coverage and other financial concerns when you call.

For Out-of-Town and International Patients

Our staff makes every effort to find affordable accommodations for out-of-town patients who are having a transplant at MSK. This is important because you will need to stay somewhere that is located within one hour of MSK for the first 100 days after your transplant. Memorial Sloan Kettering has recently opened an apartment-style residence on 75th Street that is available for some people with blood cancers. To ask about staying at there, please call your MSK doctor’s office.

If needed, our social workers can help you get a referral to the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge Jerome L. Greene Family Center, which offers lodging at no cost for people being treated for cancer in Manhattan. A free shuttle is available between Hope Lodge and MSK’s Upper East Side facilities.

International patients who are interested in having a transplant at MSK should contact our Bobst International Center. Our guest services staff will work closely with the medical team from your home country to make sure that you get the most-coordinated care possible before and after your transplant. Our staff can also help you arrange lodging, visa letters, transportation, and interpretation services, which are available in any language, 24 hours a day.

International patients may have their disease-related chemotherapy in their home countries before coming to MSK, but they must have their preparative chemotherapy here.