Bone marrow transplant

Our Bone Marrow Transplant Service (Haemopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation) carries out transplants for around 20 children and young people with malignant and non-malignant disorders every year.

Our team has pioneered the use of unrelated cord blood transplants in the UK.

A Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) involves the collection and transplantation of stem cells that form blood to either the same person (autologous transplant) or to a different person (allogeneic transplant).

At Sheffield Children’s Hospital we carry out:

• allogeneic transplantation from related and unrelated donors using stems collected from bone marrow, peripheral blood and cord blood
• autologous transplantation using the patient’s own stem cells collected from peripheral blood or bone marrow

About the paediatric allogeneic HSCT service

We are the sole paediatric allogeneic HSCT service in the Trent region, which forms its main catchment area, although occasional referrals are received from elsewhere in the UK and abroad.

On average we undertake 15 allogeneic and five autologous HSCTs a year.

Autologous HSCTs are performed primarily for solid tumours using peripheral blood stem cells.

Allogeneic HSCTs are performed using bone marrow, peripheral blood and cord blood stem cells obtained from sibling, unrelated and mismatched family donors for malignant and non-malignant haemopoietic and metabolic disorders of childhood.

Sibling and mismatched family donors over 18 years are harvested by Sheffield National Blood Service (NBS) (PBSCs) at Royal Hallamshire Hospital. Radiotherapy is given at Weston Park Hospital. Both services are located within walking distance of Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

Autologous PBSCs and marrow are harvested in-house. Unrelated donors are harvested by the relevant national and international registries.

Cell processing and cryopreservation

Processing and cryopreservation are undertaken at Sheffield NBS, Longley Lane. They also cryopreserve, thaw and wash unrelated cord blood units received from the unrelated cord blood bank prior to start of patient’s conditioning therapy.

Accreditation

The Transplant programme is JACIE accredited and holds a HTA licence for procurement of marrow and peripheral blood stem cells.