Conditioning (Chemotherapy and/or Radiation)
Day -30[30 days prior to BMT] to Day -1[1 day prior to BMT]
BMT preparations start at least a month in advance. Visits to the hospital for regular check-up, booking your room in the BMT unit, planning your date of admission and finally starting the conditioning regimen.
In very simple terms, conditioning for BMT means to prepare your body to be able to receive new stem cells. Conditioning includes High dose Chemotherapy and may or may not include radiation. This process is the formal start of BMT process. The intense Chemotherapy attacks the cancer cells and also supresses your bone marrow, so as to stop producing new cells for a limited period.
Prior to transplant, patients receive high dosages of chemotherapy and/or radiation to destroy their disease and make room for healthy new blood stem cells.
- If the dosage of chemotherapy and/or radiation is high enough to completely suppress the patient’s immune system, the procedure is called a myeloablative transplant
- If a patient receives less intensive dosages of chemotherapy and/or radiation, the procedure is called a reduced intensity or nonmyeloablative
Depending on cancer type, medical history, height, weight and any other conditions the doctor lays down a protocol for this treatment. The protocol is usually in line with global standards of BMT, however the doctor is usually the final authority to decide the exact dosage and any other intervention during the conditioning regimen.
Your transplant doctor will discuss your chemotherapy regimen with you. They will go over your treatment schedule and possible side-effects during this process.
Things to ask the doctor
- Before start of Conditioning regimen:
- Diet during the regimen
- Signs to look out for possible side effects
- Caregivers entry and exit protocols
- In the room:
- Know your BMT room, emergency bell, operation of automatic beds, etc.
- Set up personal belongings neatly inside the cupboards to minimize exposure
- Understand the process of food sanitization with steamer and clean water
- A book, some music, favourite movies, what you like and allowed by the doctor
- Personal toiletries, medicated soaps and shampoo as advised by the doctor