Cancer Care

The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute Adult Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation Program uses the latest techniques, works with other health centers and has specialists who perform many transplants each year. All these things mean the best care for you.

Our specialists performed the first autologous transplant in January 1990. Since then, our experts have done 816 autologous blood and marrow transplants.

In 1994, allogeneic bone marrow transplantation became available. Our program continued to expand, and in the fall of 1996, the first unrelated donor transplant was performed. The National Marrow Donor Program certified us as a center for unrelated donor transplants. By the end of 2008, 295 unrelated donor transplants and 683 allogeneic transplants had been done at OHSU, and our experts had performed almost 1500 transplants of all types. 

In March 2009, we opened a new state-of-the-art transplant area in OHSU Hospital with special HEPA filtration for better air quality and protection for patients who are severely immune compromised due to transplant and 30 private rooms. The HEPA filters prevent the spread of airborne bacteria and viruses, helping protect transplant patients from infection. This is important because transplant patients often have weaker immune systems that do not fight infection as well as usual. The nurses in this unit have specialty training in transplantation and caring for patients with weakened immune systems. Members of our nursing, pharmacy, nutritional support, physical and occupational therapy, social work and medical teams meet daily with the patients to coordinate care. We also have specialists in lung, heart, kidney, digestive system, infection and surgical care who can help with treatment if necessary.

If you need a bone marrow transplant, you will come to your first appointment in the Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) clinic. You will also visit the clinic for care before and after your transplant. The BMT clinic is at  the Center for Hematologic Malignancies in the Multnomah Pavilion. Our clinic has ten exam rooms, HEPA filtration and an infusion unit, including 17 recliners and five private rooms.

With the Legacy Health System, we belong to the Northwest Marrow Transplant Program (NWMTP), which offers a full range of blood and marrow transplants to patients throughout the region. This program was recognized by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy in December 2000 as the first multi-center clinical program to be accredited. Transplant services are provided at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital, OHSU Hospital and OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. This collaboration means our hematologists and oncologists share their knowledge, giving you the benefit of the latest research and treatments.