Long-term effects of blood and marrow transplant (BMT) can be divided into three categories. These effects may include:

Complications related to the transplant:
-- Fatigue and sleep disturbances
-- Emotional distress
-- Chronic graft-versus-host disease:

• Skin (rash)
• Muscle and joint pain
• Dry mouth
• Gastrointestinal problems (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss)
• Elevated liver enzymes
• Poor appetite
• Cataracts may be caused by radiation or the medications used to treat GVHD

-- Infections:

• Patients with chronic GVHD may have an increased incidence of infections.
• Varicella zoster (shingles)

Complications related to the chemotherapy and radiation treatment:

• Growth problems in children
• Lung complications
• Neurological complications (memory loss; difficulty concentrating; personality changes)
• Cataracts
• Infertility: The high-dose chemotherapy and/or radiation received prior to a BMT can damage reproductive cells. Not everyone having a BMT experiences infertility. It varies based on the age, gender, sexual maturity, type and amount of chemotherapy and/or radiation received. You should discuss it with your physician, nurse or the social worker at the BMT center. There are options such as sperm-banking, freezing and preservation of embryos, artificial insemination, and in-vitro fertilization.

Complications associated with relapse or late malignancy:

• Relapsed malignancy
• Secondary cancer