Learn about the risks and benefits

 Download the treatment options chart to help you identify the benefits and risks of different treatment options.

Although transplant can cure some diseases and treat others, it has risks.

Some risks are common like temporary hair loss and infections. Others are much less common, like your body rejecting the new cells and possibly death. Some risks are only with certain types of transplant. For example, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is only a risk after an allogeneic transplant (cells from someone else).

The risk for complications is highest during the first 100 days after a transplant. This is because your immune system is new and needs time to grow stronger. But there can still be risks during your recovery months and years after transplant.

No two people are exactly the same. You may respond differently to your transplant than someone else. Talk to a transplant doctor to learn more about the risks and benefits of transplant for you. Use this tool to help you compare risks and benefits for different treatment options.