Roswell Park’s Stem Cell Transplant Program Recognized by Optum as Center of Excellence

 

Health services company recognizes quality of care through cancer center’s Transplant & Cellular Therapy Center

Health services leader Optum has recognized Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center as a Center of Excellence (COE) for the stem cell transplant program provided through its Transplant & Cellular Therapy Center.

To become certified, a center must undergo a rigorous evaluation process conducted by Optum’s Clinical Sciences Institute to ensure it meets specific criteria. The evaluation includes assessing factors like clinical expertise, patient outcomes, and quality of care. 

“A certification of excellence means that we are continuing our mission to combine world-class innovation with deeply personalized care,” says Shernan Holtan, MD, Chief of Blood and Marrow Transplantation at Roswell Park. “Every transplant is guided by a team committed to giving patients the best outcomes and support every step of the way.”

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center was one of the first centers in the world to routinely offer patients stem cell or bone marrow transplantation. Since 1977, specialists have performed more than 3,450 transplants, with a growing program.

For patients with some types of blood-based cancers, including many forms of leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, a blood or marrow transplant utilizing hematopoietic stem cells is incorporated into cancer treatment. used to replace diseased bone marrow. For an allogenic transplant, a donor supplies healthy stem cells, whereas for an autologous transplant, a patient’s own stem cells are collected.

“The programs and protocols we have put into place have significantly enhanced patient outcomes while expanding our services. We are proud to report a remarkable achievement: a 100% six-month survival rate for all patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in 2024.”

The Roswell Park transplant team is also seeing patients earlier, providing more care on an outpatient basis and implementing new research-based protocols for stem cell donor selection. Transplants that used to require a patient to stay four to six weeks in the hospital, now have patients going home in less than two weeks.

Optum also recognized Roswell Park as a Center of Excellence for both adult and pediatric cancer treatment in early 2025. That designation has only been granted to 37 institutions in the nation.