Researchers at MSK are working hard to improve the supportive care for people having autologous stem cell transplants.

People who had high doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy before a transplant may have short-term or long-term complications until their blood cell production returns to normal. These complications may include:

• Infections
• Bleeding
• Anemia
• Organ problems, such as liver and lung problems

Another possible complication is mucositis. In this condition in which the cells that line the mouth and intestinal tract are destroyed by the high-dose chemotherapy with or without radiation therapy. Symptoms include mouth pain and ulcers, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and infection. Mucositis may not last as long in some people who take a drug called recombinant human keratinocyte growth factor (rHuKGF)