Hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation is used for selected blood cancers and other serious hematologic diseases. Depending on the condition, treatment may use the patient's own cells (autologous transplant) or donor cells (allogeneic transplant). It is a complex treatment program rather than a single procedure and requires disease-specific eligibility assessment, conditioning, infection prevention and prolonged follow-up.
Transplant type depends on the disease and treatment goal
Charité's hematology service provides autologous as well as myeloablative and non-myeloablative allogeneic stem-cell transplantation within a broader hematology/oncology program. The decision depends on diagnosis, disease status, prior therapy, age, organ function and expected benefit versus risk.
What a German transplant center needs to review
International referrals should contain enough information to assess both the disease and transplant fitness.
- Exact hematologic diagnosis and pathology
- Cytogenetic and molecular findings when relevant
- Complete prior treatment history and response
- Bone-marrow reports
- Recent imaging where relevant
- Blood counts and organ-function testing
- Infection history
- Previous transplant or cellular-therapy history
- Existing donor-search information if available
Donor planning can be a major part of an allogeneic pathway
For an allogeneic transplant, donor availability, matching and collection logistics are part of treatment planning. The transplant center should clarify what donor-search work has already been performed and which registry or family testing is needed.
The hospital stay is only one phase
Conditioning therapy, transplantation, blood-count recovery and early complication monitoring are followed by a prolonged period of infection prevention, immune recovery and surveillance for complications such as graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic transplant.
Long-distance travel requires explicit clearance
Before arranging a return flight, ask the transplant team how long the patient must remain near the center, what emergency access is required, which medicines and laboratory checks are needed and which local hematology service will assume follow-up.
Sources and review
This guide was last source-reviewed on 2026-08-29.