Counseling

Learn more about how oncology social workers can help you cope with a cancer diagnosis.

Case Management

Learn more about how CancerCare Case Management can help you address barriers to care.

Connect Education Workshops

Listen in by telephone or online as leading experts in oncology provide up-to-date information about cancer-related issues in one-hour workshops. Podcasts are also available.

Upcoming

For Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, May 13, 2021

For Acute Myeloid Leukemia

• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, May 13, 2021

For Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, May 13, 2021

For Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, May 13, 2021

For Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, May 13, 2021

For Follicular Lymphoma

• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, May 13, 2021

For Hodgkin Lymphoma

• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, May 13, 2021

For Lymphoma

• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, May 13, 2021

For Mantle Cell Lymphoma

• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, May 13, 2021

For Myelodysplastic Syndrome

• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, May 13, 2021

For Myelofibrosis

• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, May 13, 2021

For Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, May 13, 2021

For Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, May 13, 2021

For Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma

• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, May 13, 2021

For Polycythemia Vera

• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, May 13, 2021

For Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia

• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, May 13, 2021

Podcasts

Stem Cell Transplant

• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, Apr 30, 2020
• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, Oct 17, 2019
• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, Dec 13, 2018
• Life with Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, Jun 14, 2018
• Life With Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Post Allogeneic Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplantation: New Treatment Approaches, Mar 1, 2018
• Transplantation as a Treatment Option for Blood Cancers, Jun 28, 2016

Publications

Read or order our free Connect booklets and fact sheets offering easy-to-read information about the latest cancer treatments, managing side effects and coping with cancer.

For Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

• Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option: What You Need to Know

For Acute Myeloid Leukemia

• Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option: What You Need to Know
• Treatment Update: Acute Myeloid Leukemia

For Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

• Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option: What You Need to Know

For Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

• Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option: What You Need to Know
• Treatment Update: Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

For Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

• Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option: What You Need to Know
• Coping With Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

For Follicular Lymphoma

• Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option: What You Need to Know

For Hodgkin Lymphoma

• Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option: What You Need to Know

For Leukemia

• Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option: What You Need to Know
• Treatment Update: Acute Myeloid Leukemia
• Treatment Update: Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

For Lymphoma

• Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option: What You Need to Know
• Coping With Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

For Mantle Cell Lymphoma

• Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option: What You Need to Know

For Multiple Myeloma

• Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option: What You Need to Know
• Caregiving for a Loved One With Multiple Myeloma
• Treatment Update: Multiple Myeloma

For Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

• Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option: What You Need to Know

For Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma

• Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option: What You Need to Know

For Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma

• Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option: What You Need to Know

For Myelofibrosis

• Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option: What You Need to Know

For Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

• Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option: What You Need to Know

For Polycythemia Vera

• Bone Marrow Transplantation as a Treatment Option: What You Need to Know

Financial Assistance

Limited assistance from CancerCare is available to help with cancer-related costs.

Ask CancerCare

Every month, featured experts answer your questions about coping with cancer including specific answers to questions asked by caregivers.

For Any Cancer Diagnosis

• Q.

  How soon after a stem cell transplant can you return to work? Will I need to take a leave of absence during the complete work up as well as transplant and average time off?

  A.

  I suggest you speak to your transplant team about when you can return to work. Since your immune system is completely destroyed and then replaced, it can take anywhere from around three months from an autologous transplant, to about nine months if you have an allogeneic transplant. You may also feel a lot of fatigue and the many doctor appointments and follow ups after your transplant may make it harder to go back to work. You also may want to take into account the type of work you do. If the work is less labor intensive, you may feel well enough earlier, than if your work requires more labor intensive activities.

  In terms of taking a leave of absence, you might want to speak to your Human Resources department and/or supervisor about your options. During the workup phase, you may be able to continue your work schedule, but it depends on what the workup and pre-transplant procedure is like at your transplant center. I would encourage you to get a direct answer from your health care team. During the transplant you will be hospitalized for at least a month, during that time you will not be able to go to work. You may be too fatigued to be able to work remotely. When you are ready to return (with your doctor’s permission), I would encourage you to speak to HR/your supervisor to work out a schedule to work only a few days a week before going back into a full-time schedule, as you may have to slowly reintegrate work back into your normal routine. For more guidance, I encourage you to listen to our Connect Education Workshop “Transplantation as a Treatment Option for Blood Cancers,” as it provides information about stem cell transplants that you might find useful. Cancer and Careers may also be a useful resource as well.

  Answered by
  Paige Soleimani, MSW, LMSW, Oncology Social Worker

  ∞ Direct link to this question

  Tags:stem cell transplant