Welcome to the Adult Blood and Marrow Transplantation (BMT), and Cellular Therapy Program (CTP)
The BMT program at the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) was established in 2003. The BMT program is the only comprehensive, state-of the-art dedicated blood and marrow transplantation program in Jordan and is one of the largest programs in the in the Eastern Mediterranean region performing sophisticated blood and marrow transplant procedures. KHCC’s BMT program has high success and cure rates comparable with those of international programs and centers.
Our adult BMT program is staffed by a dedicated team of hematologists, BMT consultants, nurses, and technicians who are dedicated to providing comprehensive, compassionate, and individualized care to every patient and family we serve. We aim to provide high quality treatment, access to the latest technology and research, and an all-encompassing "patients first" philosophy which makes our program a leader in the region. At all stages of treatment, we work collaboratively with families to help them navigate the complexities of the bone marrow transplantation process.
KHCC’s BMT program offers a wide range of cutting-edge life-saving services and treatment options. We use state-of-the-art techniques and technologies and integrate the latest advances in medical technology, including innovative methods for harvesting and transplanting bone marrow, peripheral blood, and cord blood – all of which minimize the risk of complications and improve patient outcomes. Our program utilizes an HLA laboratory and our on-site molecular laboratory to find a perfect donor match for stem cell transplantation. If no genetically suitable donor can be located, our program is a member of the European Bone Marrow Transplantation Registry (EBMTR) and may use the stem cells from this data bank. We also conduct extensive research to provide top-notch patient care and ensure the best possible outcomes for patients receiving bone marrow transplantation.
The adult blood and marrow transplant team at KHCC has an extensive experience in performing all types of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation procedures and implementing state of the art conditioning regimens, supportive care, novel and advanced therapies. Our program has also done pioneering work using haplo-identical donors and unrelated transplants using different conditioning regimens including reduced intensity conditioning using novel, less toxic agents to cure many patients with malignant and non-malignant conditions. Throughout the transplantation process, we practice holistic medicine that considers the overall wellbeing and quality of life for our patients.
New technologies such as advanced cell separation and graft manipulation, bone marrow transplants from mismatched and unrelated donors and reduced conditioning transplants tailored to each patient have been introduced
The program currently performs around 200 sophisticated blood and marrow transplants annually, a number which has gradually doubled over the years. Since its establishment, the program has performed more than 1546 adult blood and bone marrow and stem cell transplants from all stem cell sources, including:
- Autologous transplants
- Allogeneic blood and bone marrow transplants (related and unrelated)
- Mismatched related allogeneic transplants
- Haploidentical allogeneic transplants
- Cord blood transplants (related and unrelated)
The adult blood and marrow transplantation team is an active member of many international collaborative organizations and working groups such as the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplant Society (EBMT), the Middle East Society for Blood, Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplantation (EMBMT), World BMT network. And Asia-Pacific Bone Marrow Transplantation Group (APBMT). In addition to participating in different global research initiatives.
The adult bone marrow transplant program consists of:
- A 24-bed inpatient blood and marrow transplantation sweat large rooms unit, 15 sweat rooms equipped with High Efficiency Particulate Filters (HEPA). The unit is the largest in the country and is specifically designed to provide the best possible environment of care for immunocompromised patients.
- A pre-blood and marrow transplantation and Post-blood and marrow transplantation outpatient unit containing 4 clinics for the pre- and post-transplantation care.
- Day care unit and infusion center containing isolated beds and located in a world-class state of the art ambulatory center.
- Adult emergency unit that operates 24/7 that is staffed by consult internal medicine and transplantation hospitalists and nursing familiar with managing transplant patients.
- Stem cell collection facility highly equipped stem cell collection and apheresis machines.
- A stem cell laboratory for stem cells manipulation and storage.
- HLA laboratory and molecular laboratory to find a perfect donor match for stem cell transplantation.
- An Extra Corporeal Photopheresis (ECP) facility.
- A dedicated Oncological adult ICU.
- 8 linear accelerators.
- A robust survivorship program.
- A one-year comprehensive pediatric blood and marrow transplantation training program.
Diseases that are treated with BMT include:
- Malignant disorders: Leukemias (acute and chronic), lymphoma, solid tumors
- Non-malignant conditions: Aplastic anemias, fanconi anemias, pure red cell aplasia
Adult Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program Faculty:
- Khalid Halahleh, MD, Director, Adult Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program
- Husam Abu-Jazar, MD, Consultant, Adult Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program
- Mohamad Makoseh, MD, Consultant, Adult Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program
- Rozan Al Far, MD, Consultant, Adult Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program
- Salwa Saadeh, MD, Consultant, Adult Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program
The care and treatment of BMT patients is carried out by an integrated, multidisciplinary team consisting of:
- Sixexpert adult BMT consultants with extensive experience in adult blood and bone marrow transplantation
- Cellular therapy
- Applied genomics consultants
- Radiation oncologists
- Surgeons
- Eight transplant specialists specialized in internal medicine with blood and marrow transplantation experience
- Four pre-transplant nurse coordinators
- Four post-transplant coordinators
- Nutritionists
- Pharm Ds
- Pharmacists
- Social workers
- Support staff
- Dietitians
- Experienced clinical blood and marrow transplantation nurses
In addition to the above, the team is supported by heath practitioners in all adult subspecialties required to support the transplant process. The team works together to provide personalized care to each patient, taking into account the patient's unique medical history, diagnosis, and treatment needs.
Education and Training Activities
The program offers a one-year training program in blood and bone marrow transplantation for qualified physicians who have completed three years in adult hematology and/or medical oncology.