Bone marrow transplantation. An overview and comparison of autologous, syngeneic, and allogeneic treatment modalities.

Bone marrow transplantation is one type of hematopoietic reconstitution for oncology patients receiving ablative chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. As an adjunct in the treatment of malignancies, bone marrow transplantation offers a new hope in cancer treatment as new and more aggressive therapies are used. The underlying principles and stages of bone marrow transplantation are common to the three different types of transplants. However, the basic differences in the relationships between donor and recipient result in different complications and care requirements for these three groups of patients. Responsible nursing intervention requires that the caregivers are aware not only of the aspects common to all transplant patients, but also that they are aware of the basic differences, unique complications, and special physical and psychologic care requirements of each group.