UVA Stem Cell Transplant Program receives FACT accreditation for autologous and allogeneic transplants

The Stem Cell Transplant Program at the University of Virginia Cancer Center has received international accreditation for its use of stem cells and bone marrow to treat patients with blood cancers.

Bone marrow and stem cell transplants - whether a patient's own cells or cells from a donor - are used to care for patients with immune disorders along with blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

Programs earn this award from the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) by meeting detailed standards in the collection, processing and use of stem cells and bone marrow in treating patients. Accreditation follows both a written application and an on-site inspection by a FACT survey team.

UVA earned FACT accreditation for both autologous transplants (performed with cells from a patient's own body) and allogeneic transplants (performed with cells from a donor).

"Throughout UVA Cancer Center, we seek to provide the highest-quality care to all of our patients," said Thomas P. Loughran Jr., MD, UVA Cancer Center's director. "Earning FACT accreditation demonstrates our commitment to caring for patients with blood cancers and shows the dedication of our multidisciplinary clinical and laboratory teams."

UVA's Stem Cell Transplant Program includes more than 20 doctors, nurses and technical staff that evaluates and monitors patients in an outpatient clinic and performs stem cell and bone marrow transplants in a dedicated inpatient unit. The program is also a National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)/Be The Match® transplant center and has access to the Be The Match Registry®, the world's largest bone marrow donor registry.

Source: UVA Cancer Center