About the BMT Process

BMT Options | Types of BMT

Conditions Treated with BMT

Drug Therapy

Program Accreditation

The Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center is the largest BMT program in San Diego, one of the largest in California, and a national leader in physician expertise and state-of-the-art treatment.  Studies have shown that the best patient outcomes occur in centers that perform a high volume of specific medical procedures, such as BMT.

Learn More  BMT Team  Request an Appointment  Clinical Trials  Cancer Support Services

A joint venture between UCSD and Sharp HealthCare in San Diego, the BMT Program is accredited and credentialed by the top national agencies and clinical trials organizations.   Among the conditions treated by BMT are leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes, and some solid tumors such as testicular cancer.

About BMT

Although the BMT procedure is called a transplant, there is no painful surgery that cuts you open. Rather, treatment involves an infusion of potent adult (not embryonic) stem cells through a small intravenous (IV) needle attached to your vein, similar to getting a blood transfusion. 

Stem cells are cells in your bone marrow that constantly divide to produce red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Once they mature, these cells leave the bone marrow and enter the bloodstream. A blood or bone marrow transplant (BMT) of stem cells is used to replace bone marrow that has been destroyed by disease, chemotherapy or radiation. 

Previously, BMT referred to a “bone” marrow transplant because stem cells were harvested (or taken) only from the bone marrow.  While this procedure is still recommended for some people, most stem cells today are taken from circulating (peripheral) blood in a procedure that is much more gentle on the donor.  For this reason, the “B” in BMT now refers to blood and bone.

Learn More About Blood & Marrow Transplant

• Types of BMT (Allogeneic, Autologous & others)
• The BMT Process, from Initial Evaluation through Post-transplant Follow-up
• Conditions Treated with BMT

Give to the UCSD BMT Program

Your contribution directly supports promising research, critical treatment, training of new generations of physician and scientists and helps the UCSD Medical Center to study and successfully treat a broad range of diseases and disorders.

For more information about making a gift to the UCSD Medical Centers, call (619) 471-0485. We are grateful for your consideration.