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Introducing NMDP, formerly known as the National Marrow Donor Program and Be The Match. Our name has changed but our mission has not: We save lives through cell therapy. Learn More

Care guides can help you manage your health in the months and years after blood and marrow transplant

Age19 years of age and older
Number of Participants619
Research GoalImprove Quality of LifeImprove Survival
Although BMT can cure blood cancers and diseases, it also may have side effects for years afterward. And patients’ primary care doctors may be less familiar than transplant doctors with these effects. 

In this study, researchers sent Be The Match care guides to more than 600 patients and caregivers, and asked if the guides were helpful. The guides were available as 8-page printed brochures, online, and as mobile apps. 

More than 90% of patients and caregivers strongly agreed or agreed that the care guides helped them understand recommended tests at check-up appointments. And 85% preferred printed guides rather than an online version or mobile app. 

What’s in the guides? 

After Transplant Guidelines for Patients are available free of charge through Be The Match in both English and Spanish for 6-month and annual check-ups. 

The care guides list usual wellness checks and other reminders related to BMT, including: 
  • After BMT, you may need all your vaccinations repeated. 
  • Depending on the medications you took to prepare for BMT, you may need bone density tests. 
  • Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a common side effect of some types of transplant that can affect eyes, skin, and other organs. It’s important to be on the lookout for signs and symptoms. If GVHD is caught early, you may have more treatment options, and those treatments may work better. 
  • Information and resources around emotional health, quality of life after transplant, relationships, and finances. 

Keep in mind 

Everyone is different, so ask your doctors what is best for you. Also ask your transplant doctor to share your record with your primary care doctor.