The caveat to stem cell transplants is that, because they are higher risk procedures, there are certain eligibility criteria that must be met in order to receive this treatment.


Stem cell transplants are usually autologous, meaning that they use your own cells in order to ensure an exact match. Sometimes another's cells can be used for the transplant, but this is much less common.
 Factors where doctors would likely not recommend a stem cell transplant include:


Age greater than 77 years old
Significant heart problems or heart disease
Impaired kidney function
Impaired liver function
Overall poor health and day-to-day function, as assessed by your physician.
 This is another reason that good health is key in order to undergo this treatment; people with poor health may not be able to tolerate the intense chemotherapy that is required prior to the stem cell transplant. The goal of the chemotherapy is to remove the diseased cells from your bone marrow prior to transplanting healthy ones; if all of the diseased cells are unable to be removed, it puts you at risk of a relapse down the road.


If you are going to be cured of multiple myeloma, strong chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant is your best bet. Although it can be a challenging procedure to go through, it is likely to be the most effective.
Radiation may also be given prior to a stem cell transplant as a further means to get rid of as many cancer cells as possible prior to the transplant.
Understand that a stem cell transplant is another treatment option.A stem cell transplant holds the potential to be a very effective form of treatment, and it can lead to cure from multiple myeloma for about 4% of people (in others, it improves the disease but not to the point of cure).
Be aware of the eligibility criteria for a stem cell transplant.Due to the higher risk of this treatment, it is up to your doctor's discretion whether he or she recommends to proceed with it.
Receive strong chemotherapy prior to the stem cell transplant.You will be given a high dose of chemotherapy treatment prior to the transplant to eliminate as many of the cancer cells as possible from your bone marrow.
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