What to Expect After a Stem-Cell Transplant
- Stem-cell transplant side effects for AML can be difficult and often include fatigue, upset stomach and mouth sores
- Some people will experience an extreme loss of appetite, while others will feel very little effect
- Symptoms often disappear as the immune system is rebuilt
How a person with
acute myeloid leukemia (AML) responds to a stem-cell transplant depends on both the disease and the person, according to
Dr. Caitlin Costello, a hematologist and medical oncologist at UC San Diego Health. Common side effects, she says, are fatigue, upset stomach and mouth sores.
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Read More “Patients may feel like they have no appetite and don’t want to eat because the mouth sores or sore throat or upset stomach prohibits that,” Dr. Costello tells SurvivorNet. “This can range from a nuisance to sometimes painful. I think it’s important to know what you’re getting yourself into, if you will, so that you know what to expect.” She also notes, however, that some patients really feel little to no side effects. Also, if a person is having trouble eating, there are ways that nutrients can be given intravenously until those side effects subside, Dr. Costello says. “The light at the end of the tunnel starts to emerge when we see your new immune system starting to grow,” she says. “So, every day we check your blood levels and we see that your old immune system, which has died, is now slowly starting to grow your new immune system.”
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Caitlin Costello, MD, is a board-certified hematologist and medical oncologist who specializes in treating a variety of blood cancers, including multiple myeloma, lymphoma, and leukemia. Read More