Soon after comes the high-dose chemotherapy, followed a day or so later by stem cell reinfusion. If all has gone well, the cancer cells will not grow back. Without reinfusion, the high-dose chemotherapy wreaks havoc in the blood, destroying the cells that protect the body from infection, leaving the patient incredibly vulnerable to even normally benign foreign particles. Yet there s little fanfare surrounding the actual transplant, and some patients miss the event altogether. Dr. Fox tells of a family that brought a video camera to record the transplant.
Most people do that, miss the transplant.
They think it s going to be a big thing. Other than having to lie down for four hours, it s nothing. Dr. Tricot s philosophy is to prevent problems before they occur. I think that s a very positive thing in the program. I know that doesn t happen at other places.