BMSCTI Procedures...

The South Florida Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant Institute is a 4,000 sq. ft. facility located in Bethesda Health City, Boynton Beach, Florida. 


A biopsy is necessary to ensure the patient's bone marrow is free of cancer cells prior to the transplant.

The Transplant Team

We recognize that a successful outpatient program requires a unique and highly motivated team of professionals and supporting organizations. The South Florida Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant Institute is fully committed to providing a highly experienced staff trained in the following areas:

  • Transplant Physicians.

  • Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Laboratory Staff.

  • Chemotherapy/Transplant Nurses (clinic and home care).

  • Psycho-Social and Nutritional Consultants.

  • Administrative Staff.

The expanded transplant team is comprised of a wide array of professionals which provide the sum total of services required to support the treatment program. The interior team includes the transplant physician, clinical coordinator, transplant nurses, chemotherapy pharmacist, nutritionist and the administrative staff. The exterior team includes the various BMSCTI affiliates which directly support the bone marrow stem cell treatment program.

Within the Bethesda Healthcare System, particularly Bethesda Memorial Hospital and its Comprehensive Cancer Care Center, there is an extensive network of medical specialists and ancillary providers which can support all outpatient needs of the Institute.


Dr. Maharaj is in charge of cryopreservationfor his patients

Eligibility Criteria:

Acute Myelogenous Leukemia Patients in CR 1 or CR 2, with standard or intermediate risk based upon cytogenetics are eligible. Patients with good (CR 1) or poor risk features are not considered eligible. 

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patients in CR 1 or CR 2 who do not have a suitable related HLA-matched donor are eligible. 

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients in chronic phase who do not have a suitable HLA-matched donor are eligible. 

Multiple Myeloma Patients with Durie-Salmon Stage II or III, newly diagnosed or responsive disease. This includes those patients with previously untreated disease, those with at least partial response to prior chemotherapy, and those in responsive relapse. 

Hodgkin’s Disease Lymphoma Patients with Hodgkin’s Disease who have failed to achieve a complete remission with conventional chemotherapy or relapsed from initial or later remission; or have high risk disease (International Prognostic Index) at initial diagnosis.

Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: Low Grade Stage III, IV Patients with recurrent low grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and one or more adverse prognostic factors (B symptoms, bulky tumor mass, more than two relapses, high LDH, Hb < 10 g/dl). 

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: Intermediate or High Grade Intermediate or high grade lymphoma responding to standard chemotherapy but failing to achieve complete remission by completion of 50% of their standard induction treatment and demonstrating plateau or progression; or relapsed from initial or later remission. High risk disease (International Prognostic Index) at initial presentation. 

Breast Carcinoma: with 4 or more positive axillary nodes (TAX 321 BCIRG 002 randomized clinical trial) Patients with invasive adenocarcinoma with at least four axillary lymph nodes (pN1) showing evidence of tumor among a minimum of six resected nodes. 

Breast Carcinoma: Stage II and III Patient should have undergone a radical, modified radical (MRM), or breast-sparing procedure plus axillary dissection. Patient should have a biopsy proven diagnosis of epithelial carcinoma of the breast. Greater than or equal to 10 lymph nodes positive for carcinoma or high risk primary breast carcinoma.

Breast Carcinoma: Stage IV Histologically proven diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the breast. Bilateral carcinoma is acceptable. Biopsy proven metastatic breast cancer or unequivocal evidence of metastasis on radiographic studies. Patients must demonstrate chemotherapy-sensitivity and be in a state of minimal disease or complete remission. Tumor markers may be used as support of data; however, they are not adequate for diagnosis of recurrence.

Ovarian Carcinoma: Stage III, IV or high risk Tissue documented epithelial ovarian cancer with residual disease after initial response to standard chemotherapy, or residual disease following standard induction chemotherapy as demonstrated by either clinical or radiological evidence of less than complete response, persistently elevated CA-125 or residual disease at second look. Patients with persistent or recurrent ovarian cancer must be incurable with available conventional chemotherapy.

Germ Cell Tumor: Poor Risk Patients with relapsed or high risk (International Germ Cell Consensus Classification) disease at presentation.

 

 

 

 

 








Those diseases which are medically acceptable for treatment by stem cell transplantation, based upon published scientific data, are shown below: 

Click here for eligibility criteria
Acute Myeloid Leukemia  
 (CR#1, CR#2)
Definition: (AML) A quickly progressing disease in which too many immature blood-forming cells are found in the blood and bone marrow. Also called acute myelogenous leukemia or acute nonlymphocytic leukemia.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (CR#1, CR#2)
Definition: (ALL). A quickly progressing disease in which too many immature white blood cells called lymphoblasts are found in the blood and bone marrow. Also called acute lymphocytic leukemia.
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma 
 (high & intermediate risk;1st relapse; high risk)
Definition: A group of cancers of the lymphoid system, B-cell lymphoma, Burkitt's lymphoma, diffuse cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, immunoblastic large cell lymphoma, lymphoblastic lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, mycosis fungoides, post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder, small non-cleaved cell lymphoma, and T-cell lymphoma
Hodgkin's Disease  
(1st/2nd relapse; high risk)
Definition: A malignant disease of the lymphatic system that is characterized by painless enlargement of lymph nodes, the spleen, or other lymphatic tissue. It is sometimes accompanied by symptoms such as fever, weight loss, fatigue, and night sweats.
Multiple Myeloma (1st relapse; high risk)
Definition: (mye-eh-LO-ma): Cancer that arises in plasma cells (white blood cells that produce antibodies).
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia  
(chronic phase)
Definition: (CML) A slowly progressing disease in which too many white blood cells are made in the bone marrow. Also called chronic myelogenous leukemia or chronic granulocytic leukemia.
Low Grade Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (Stage III, IV; 1st relapse)
Definition: Lymphomas that tend to grow and spread slowly, including chronic lymphocytic lymphoma and follicular small cleaved cell lymphoma. Also called indolent lymphomas.
Breast Cancer - Stage II (Inflammatory;10+ nodes) Stage III, IV (responsive)
Definition: Cells in the body normally divide (reproduce) only when new cells are needed. Sometimes, cells will divide for no reason, which creates a mass of tissue called a tumor. Tumors can be benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).  In breast cancer, as well as in some other cancers, cells grow abnormally and reproduce without control or order, forming a malignant tumor. Cancer cells can invade surrounding tissue. They can also break off from the tumor, travel to other parts of the body and form new tumors, a process called metastasis. Cancer cells may travel to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system (lymph nodes) or vascular system (blood vessels). Metastasis is a late stage of cancer.
Ovarian Cancer (Stage III, IV; high risk)
Definition: A malignant neoplasm (abnormal growth) located on the ovaries.
Germ Cell Tumor (1st relapse; high risk)
Definition: Tumors that begin in the cells that give rise to sperm or eggs. They can occur virtually anywhere in the body and can be either benign or malignant.