Possible side effects and complications of a stem cell or bone marrow transplant
Stem cell or bone marrow transplants can cause a range of side effects.
These can be caused by chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment before the transplant, or because of the transplant itself.
Your care team will explain any side effects to you before the treatment.
Common side effects
Common side effects of a stem cell or bone marrow transplant include:
- temporary hair loss
- a sore mouth and throat (mucositis)
- feeling sick (nausea) and being sick (vomiting)
- diarrhoea
- feeling more tired than normal (fatigue)
- iron deficiency anaemia
- bleeding or bruising more easily than usual
- being more likely to get infections
- blood clots
- becoming anxious or depressed
Radiotherapy and some chemotherapy medicines can cause infertility or fertility problems. You may want to ask about options for storing your eggs or sperm before treatment.
Graft versus host disease (GvHD)
If you had a transplant that used stem cells from a donor, there is a risk the transplanted cells may attack the other cells in your body. This is called graft versus host disease (GvHD).
GvHD can start straight after you have a transplant or later on.
It can affect many different parts of your body, including your skin, stomach, gut, liver, mouth, eyes, lungs, muscles, joints or penis or vagina.
Symptoms of GvHD include:
- dry, red itchy skin across your body
- feeling very hot or cold
- diarrhoea, stomach cramps, indigestion or having no appetite
- a sore, dry mouth, mouth ulcers or a change in your sense of taste
- yellowing of the skin (jaundice) or pain in your tummy
- dry, itchy, uncomfortable, watering eyes and sensitivity to bright light
- swollen joints and difficulty moving your arms and legs
- vaginal dryness, ulcers or rashes on your penis or vagina, pain when peeing or erection problems
Let your care team know if you get side effects. They may be able to give you treatments to ease them and advice about things you can do to help.
Urgent advice: Call your care team now if you have:
- a high temperature – signs include feeling hot, cold, sweaty or shivery, or the skin on your back or chest feels hotter than usual
- other signs of an infection, such as a sore throat, cough, diarrhoea, peeing a lot or pain when peeing
- throbbing or cramping pain, swelling and warmth in a leg or arm
- sudden breathlessness, sharp chest pain (may be worse when you breathe in) and a cough or coughing up blood
- difficulty breathing, wheezing or finding exercise more difficult
You may need to be treated quickly.
Call NHS 111 if you're not sure how to contact your care team.