The bone marrow transplant program at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has once again been accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT).
This marks the fourth consecutive time that the program has been recognized by FACT, which reviewed the Medical Center’s clinical bone marrow transplant program, as well as bone marrow and cellular therapy product collection and processing facilities. The program received initial FACT accreditation in 2001 and was reaccredited in 2004 and 2007.
FACT standards are evidence-based requirements set by teams of world-renowned experts in cellular therapy. FACT is the only accrediting organization that addresses all quality aspects of cellular therapy treatments.
“This is the international gold standard by which bone marrow transplant programs are measured,” said Witold Rybka, professor of medicine and pathology, and director of the Medical Center’s bone marrow transplant program.
Penn State Hershey Medical Center’s bone marrow transplant program is the only integrated program in Pennsylvania to be accredited for both adults and children. Medical Center physicians have performed more than 1,150 bone marrow transplants since 1996.
Bone marrow transplants are used to treat many forms of cancer including acute leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and neuroblastoma (a neurological tissue tumor occurring mostly in children). Additionally, aplastic anemia and other bone marrow diseases are also treated with transplants.