Specialties & Conditions Stem Cell Transplantation Program
Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Program
Since 1992, our Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant Program, has performed more than 1,000 stem cell transplants, making it one of the nation's largest pediatric programs of its kind. It is a part of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, which is ranked 10th in the nation by U.S.News & World Report for pediatric oncology; the program is also a part of the Siragusa Transplantation Center. As the first freestanding pediatric program to earn accreditation from the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy, the program is recognized for its quality, outcomes, multidisciplinary approach to care, research and laboratory expertise. We offer several comprehensive, multidisciplinary specialty clinics, including chronic graft vs. host disease, immune deficiency, long term follow-up and bone marrow failure.
The Lurie Children's Difference
- Our program was the first free-standing pediatric institution to be accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT). We have continued to maintain this accreditation in the areas of pediatric autologous transplant, allogeneic transplant, marrow collection and peripheral blood by apheresis collection since 1999.
- Our Ambulatory Infusion Center provides comprehensive outpatient treatment, including family-friendly hours, to hematology, oncology and stem cell transplant patients.
- We offer our patients access to in-house protocols and national studies.
- Hospital-wide collaboration means that newborns identified with immune deficiencies in the Newborn Screening Center are quickly referred to and treated by immunologists and stem cell transplant specialists.
- We are a member of the Primary Immune Deficiency Treatment Consortium (PIDTC), a group of 13 major centers in North America collaborating to improve the outcome of patients with rare, life threatening, inherited disorders of the immune system.
Approach
During a pediatric stem cell transplant, a patient's diseased or damaged bone marrow is replaced with healthy blood stem cells. Patients first receive chemotherapy and/or radiation to eliminate diseased cells and make space in the bone marrow. The stem cells are then infused and make their way to the space in the bone marrow, and start producing healthy blood cells.
All children referred for a stem cell transplant at Lurie Children's have a multidisciplinary team to support them before and after transplant. Patients and their families benefit from this tight team approach, which combines highly-specialized training and clinical expertise of all stem cell transplant specialists. The goal of this team approach is to provide consistent, expert care from the point of referral to the completion of the transplant.
Related Programs
The Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant Program has developed specialized programs to treat certain conditions in the most comprehensive way possible. Browse our list of programs to learn more about the expert-led initiatives that can help treat your child.
Conditions We Treat
Our specialists treat various conditions with stem cell transplants.
View a list of conditionsExperience
The team includes:
- Specialized physicians with extensive training and experience in stem cell transplantation
- Advanced practice nurses (APNs) who work with physicians as part of the dedicated primary team, caring for the child throughout the transplant process.
- Nurses that are trained to care for pediatric patients undergoing transplant.
- All nurses who administer chemotherapy have completed the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses (APHON) Chemotherapy and Biotherapy Provider Program
- A social worker and a psychosocial expert work as a team with child life specialists to support the emotional, social, educational and developmental needs of the patient and family
- A financial coordinator helps patient families navigate financial and insurance issues.
- A specialized pharmacist is dedicated to managing medications for transplant patients.
The status of patients preparing for a stem cell transplant is reviewed in dedicated meetings. Team members discuss diagnosis, transplant and donor options and treatment regimens. They also review any insurance, financial, family or cultural concerns.
Meet the Team
Appointments
For more information, please call 1.800.543.7362 (1.800.KIDS DOC®).
Traveling from out-of-state? Our Destination Services team is available to help make your experience at Lurie Children's go as smoothly as possible. Learn more.
Transplant Remote Consultations & Second Opinions
Whether you anticipate your child needing an organ transplant in the future, interested in multiple listing for organ transplant, or would like a second opinion on post-transplant care, the transplant remote consultation and second opinion program can help.
Via telemedicine, our transplant providers are available for an initial consultation to review your care, explain our transplant process, and provide second opinions of post transplant care treatment plans before deciding if traveling to Lurie Children’s would be the right choice for you.
Resources
Stem cell transplant patients and families have access to support services and other hospital resources. We've compiled a list of these resources and helpful websites.
Bone Marrow Donation
You can help a young patient by donating blood or bone marrow.
Research
Our team is committed to clinical and transitional research with the goal of advancing the field of hematopoietic cell transplantation through collaborative multidisciplinary research. As the pediatric affiliate of the NCI designated Lurie Cancer Center-Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and with active participation in Pediatric Transplant and Cellular therapy Consortium (PTCTC), Children’s Oncology Group, Primary Immune Deficiency Treatment Consortium (PIDTC), and the Sickle Cell Transplant Advocacy & Research (STAR) Alliance, we are committed to participation in Investigator and Consortium initiated Clinical trials. Our research is focused on providing access to novel treatment strategies to all our patients undergoing transplant to provide definitive cure and improve meaningful outcomes for our patients through compassionate, inclusive, individualized approaches.
Philanthropy
Your support is vital in helping us continue to make a difference in the lives of patients and families. Lurie Children's relies on philanthropic funding to enhance its programs, services and research for children. To learn more, please e-mail the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Foundation at foundation@luriechildrens.org or call 312.227.7500.
