Blood cancer specialists in Austin
As the area's only bone marrow transplant program, we strive to provide reliable, timely blood cancer care.
At the Sarah Cannon Cancer Network at St. David's HealthCare, our oncology specialists understand the gravity of a blood cancer diagnosis. In our pursuit of positive outcomes in this field, we offer both immunotherapy and radiation therapy.
Have cancer questions?
We can help. askSARAH is a dedicated, confidential helpline for your cancer-related questions. Our specially trained nurses are available 24/7.
We can help. askSARAH is a dedicated, confidential helpline for your cancer-related questions. Our specially trained nurses are available 24/7.
Types of blood cancers we treat
Our experienced doctors work towards treating several blood cancers, including:
- Aplastic anemia
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
- Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)
- Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Leukemia
- Myeloma and multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Blood cancer care we offer
Our goal is to help you effectively manage your cancer, while providing opportunities to explore viable treatment options.
Diagnosing blood cancer
While blood cancer requires extensive testing to diagnose, there are certain warning signs that can potentially indicate an underlying issue. These include:
- Easy bruising
- Excessive bleeding
- Fatigue
- Fever
If you notice a combination of any of these symptoms, please see a doctor. While in the care of one of our specialists, we will work to confirm or disconfirm a blood cancer diagnosis through the use of bone marrow biopsies, imaging exams and laboratory testing.
Blood cancer treatments
Our program has been accredited by the Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) since 2010. This accreditation acts as a recognition of our commitment to multidisciplinary blood cancer care, offered by dedicated specialists who always put your needs first. Members of this care team include:
- Dietitians
- Hematologists
- Oncologists
- Social workers
- Transplant nurses and nurse coordinators
- Transplant psychologists
Based on your overall health, cancer stage, lifestyle and genetic factors, our care team will personalize a cancer treatment plan for your unique condition. Leading-edge blood cancer treatments we may incorporate into this treatment plan include:
- Administration of cellular therapy products
- Adult autologous and allogenic hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation
- Apheresis collection
- Blood transfusions
- Immune effector cell therapy
- Immunotherapy, including chemotherapy
- Minimal-manipulation cell processing
- Radiation therapy
- Stem cell transplants
Blood and marrow transplants
A common treatment option for blood cancer is a blood and marrow transplant, also called a stem cell transplant, which replaces abnormal stem cells with healthy cells.
Your condition may call for transplants of healthy blood stem cells when high doses of chemotherapy are required, because while chemotherapy can kill off cancerous cells inside your bone marrow, it can also destroy healthy stem cells, or, immature blood cells. A stem cell transplant can help rebuild your bone marrow after chemotherapy.
As a part of our stem cell transplant program, we participate in the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research data registry to ensure commitment to improving cell therapy outcomes. This outcome data helps us provide better care for the community, and allows our team members to learn best practices from leading-edge information.
Autologous stem cell transplants (ASCT)
ASCT uses stem cells that are removed from your body before chemotherapy treatment, and then returned afterward.
To determine if ASCT is right for you, your medical team will perform a series of tests to evaluate your:
- Disease stage
- Level of response to chemotherapy
- Overall medical condition
- Type of cancer
It is important to know that ASCT can be both physically and emotionally taxing, so an inpatient hospital stay is required.
Allogeneic stem cell transplants
This transplant uses blood stem cells from a matching donor that are transplanted intravenously. The donation most commonly comes from a close relative, but donors may also be unrelated. We work closely with the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) to receive cell products for these types of allogeneic transplant recipients.
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell transplants
CAR T-cell therapy is a type of immunotherapy that extracts T-cells from your blood. A gene for a special receptor is then inserted into your T-cells, before we infuse millions of enhanced T-cells back into your bloodstream. Once infused, your CAR T-cells bind to the cancer cells and kill them.
Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy
TILs are specialized white blood cells, which are also called lymphocytes, that naturally infiltrate tumors and recognize cancer-specific antigens. TIL therapy is an immunotherapy that uses your own tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes to fight cancer, particularly advanced melanoma. In doing so, it is able to harness your body’s immune system to attack cancer cells.
Outpatient blood cancer clinic
An outpatient clinic is available for adults with blood cancer, as well as those who have received or will receive a blood and marrow transplant. The clinic has an outside entrance, eliminating the need to walk through the main hospital in an immunocompromised state.
About Sarah Cannon Cancer Network
Fighting cancer takes a team
Sarah Cannon Cancer Network delivers you exceptional cancer care through cutting-edge, specialized treatments, multidisciplinary collaboration and care that is tailored to you. Our teams of passionate caregivers and global oncology experts across the United States and United Kingdom offer services and expertise that extend across many types of cancer.