For four decades, Ohio State blood and bone marrow transplant innovation has improved cancer care with an increasing emphasis on patients’ quality of life. Since February 1984, more than 6,500 transplants have been performed at the Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). It’s the longest-running BMT program in central Ohio and one of the most experienced in the nation. Also including peripheral blood stem cell transplants (PBSCTs), the BMT Program at the OSUCCC – James has long been at the forefront of innovative care for patients with hematologic malignancies and other blood disorders. “Having a program that has done so many transplants tells you that it’s part of the DNA of the institution,” says Marcos de Lima, MD, director of both the BMT and the Cellular Therapy programs at the OSUCCC – James. How BMTs and cell therapy save cancer patients’ lives “These procedures restore or replace blood-making stem cells that were destroyed by high doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy in patients being treated for certain cancers or other blood disorders,” de Lima says. “Most blood-making cells are in bone marrow, but some, called PBSCs, are in the bloodstream or in umbilical cord blood.”   Clinicians can harvest these cells from any of those locations for use in three types of transplant: autologous (patients receive their own stem cells that were removed before chemotherapy or radiation therapy); syngeneic (patients receive stem cells from identical twins) or allogeneic (patients receive stem cells from siblings, parents or unrelated donors). The transplants are most often utilized for leukemia, lymphoma or multiple myeloma, but they can also be used to treat other cancers, such as neuroblastoma and several additional malignant and nonmalignant conditions. Click here to learn more about blood cancer care and research at the OSUCCC – James. Since the OSUCCC – James’ BMT program launched in 1984, transplantation has evolved to utilize genetically-modified cells that target cancer cells and are individualized to each patient’s condition. “The broader name of ‘cell therapy’ is now used to encompass these treatments and other forms of cancer and non-cancer treatments, such as gene therapy for sickle cell anemia,” de Lima explains. “Our multidisciplinary team understands that every patient’s cancer is biologically unique and requires individually tailored treatments.” One example of cell therapy — a groundbreaking immunotherapy treatment called CAR T-cell therapy — involves the removal of immune cells, which are then reengineered to better fight cancer cells before being reintroduced to patients’ bodies. The OSUCCC – James team was one of the first in the nation to perform CAR T procedures and is the only provider of the treatment in central Ohio. “We have been witness to history, and we’ve been there from the beginning,” Sumithira Vasu, MD, says. “Our team knows what to expect and what can go wrong. We’ve seen it before and know what to do and how to get patients taken care of. Click here to learn more about blood cancer care and research at the OSUCCC – James.