Hi, I’m getting ready for stem cell transplant in June for relapsed follicular lymphoma. I was first diagnosed in 2020 and had 6 cycles of R-CHOP. I was in complete remission but relapsed in 2022 and was on watch and wait for few months before starting 6 cycles of Bendamustine + obinituzumab. I’m given all clear again and I’m being prepared for stem cell transplant hoping to achieve a longer remission.
I would like to hear from anyone who had undergone stem cell transplant with their experience to treat disease similar to mine please.
Hi again DevW and sorry to hear that things have progressed, although totally frustrating, it’s encouraging that treatments like Stem Cell Transplant (SCT) have progressed sufficiently over the many years that it is now seen as ‘another level’ of treatment with great results.
There have been a few folks in the FL group been through SCT so let’s see them pick up on your post.
It’s safe to say that the SCT process is basically the same for everyone regardless the type of Lymphoma……I also have a type of Low Grade NHL although very different from your FL….. but the SCT process is basically the same for all the many different types of blood cancers.
What type of SCT you are having?
The first is an Autologous SCT or Auto SCT for short and this is when your own clean Stem Cells are harvested and eventually returned to you after taking down your immune system.
The second type is an Allograft SCT or Allo SCT for short and this is when after your immune system is taken down you receive Stem Cells from a matched donor…… this is what I had and in-fact 9 years today I was just settling into my room in The Beatson in Glasgow to start my first Allo SCT.
The basic principle of SCT is to reboot your immune system and in doing so giving you long term remission. Up until I had my second Allo SCT in Oct 2015 the longest partial remission I had over those 16 years was about 9 months before going back on treatments…… I am now 7 years 7 months out from my second SCT, discharged from my team, turned 67 last Nov and living a great life.
I see you have already joined our dedicated Stem cell transplant support group. This is a good place to see other folks posts about their SCT journeys and obviously worth putting up your own post and introducing yourself to the group.
The nature of SCT is that due to long term remission being achieved people tend to move on with life and many move in from the community…… and this in itself is great.
But I along with a few others stick around in the Lymphoma groups and also the SCT group to help others navigate their journeys.
Any questions do ask them but you may find it helpful to put up a post in the SCT group as this will widen you support base across the people from other blood cancer types who have navigated the SCT process.
