Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant

When you learn that your child requires a bone marrow transplant, also known as a hematopoietic cell transplant, it is natural to feel a range of emotions. On one hand, this procedure can go a long way towards helping your child get back to living a normal, healthy life. On the other, the transplant process can raise a host of questions.

UNC Children’s bone marrow transplant (BMT) program offers a highly specialized team, here to make certain that each patient receives comprehensive care tailored to them, and that each family is supported throughout the entire transplant journey and beyond. A transplant nurse coordinator will be there to help you and your family through the entire process, from the initial medical evaluations through the transplant.

Our UNC Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant program is accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy.

What We Treat

Conditions We Treat

We offer treatment for both malignant and non-malignant diseases using hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT).

Malignant Conditions:

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), myelodysplastic syndrome, juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JML), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas
Solid tumors such as neuroblastoma and Wilms Tumor
Brain tumors, such as medulloblastoma, primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET), and atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT)

Non-Malignant Conditions:

Severe sickle cell anemia, beta thalassemia blood disorders
Bone marrow failure syndromes, including severe aplastic anemia, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), and Fanconi anemia
Immunodeficiencies such as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and X-linked lymphoproliferative disease (XLP)

Treatments

Treatments We Offer

Our physicians have expertise in both allogeneic HCT and autologous HCT. Here’s what that means:

In autologous HCT, the cells come from the patient.
In allogeneic HCT, the cells come from someone else. These cells can come from a sibling, relative, or unrelated donor.

We are referral based. If you think your child could benefit from our services, please talk to his or her pediatrician, oncologist, or hematologist.

What You Need to Know

We provide care tailored to each individual child and will offer your son or daughter the opportunity to participate in clinical trials as appropriate. Educating your family on all aspects of the transplant process and guiding you through the decision making process is a top priority.

All of our patients are treated in our clinical home, N.C. Children’s Hospital in Chapel Hill, on a specialized unit on the fifth floor, call the Children’s Intermediate Care Center.

Your child’s dedicated bone marrow transplantation team includes:

Physicians and nurses with specialized training in caring for pediatric bone marrow transplant patients
Nurse practitioners
A transplant nurse coordinator
Clinical pharmacists
Social workers

We also provide the full spectrum of services available to families at N.C. Children’s Hospital. These include Hospital School teachers, mental health resources, physical therapists, child-life specialists (including music therapists), and more. We also have a dedicated Spanish translator if necessary.