Short Remission

My husband went through a auto stem cell transplant 6 months ago. The doctors really encouraged this step as his best shot at getting a remission. It nearly killed him but we thought it would be worth the risk. Now, only 8 months later, he has lost his remission. We don't know if it was worth it or not. I feel we are not getting good information from the doctors.

I was in total remission when my doctor suggested I have a SCT.  He wouldn't advice one way or the other, kind of wish now that he never brought it up.  I went ahead and had the SCT going with the "scorched earth" thinking.  Within a year the cancer was back.  I am not a doctor but If you are in remission think twice before you decide to have a Stem Cell transplant.  Put it this way, would you have one if you didn't have cancer?  Plus, when and if, hopefully never, the cancer does come back, what are you going to do then?  Haven't heard of anyone hospital that does two SCTs on the same person.

I have to add this for innocent and trusting people who might read this note.  A Stem Cell Transplant (SCT) does NOT guarantee that the cancer will NOT return.  Let me repeat that, a Stem Cell Transplant (SCT) does NOT guarantee that the cancer will NOT return.  I have a friend who is currently in treatment for recurring NHL and his "doctor" told him that this would NOT have happened if he had had a SCT.  We know better than that, don't we?