The Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at Northside Hospital (NH-BMT) provides the best of both worlds—clinical excellence and compassionate care. We are committed to being the premier program in the Southeast, providing exceptional, state-of-the-art care to patients undergoing acute leukemia treatment, CAR T-cell immunotherapy, and blood and marrow stem cell transplantation. New patient brochure
The Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) and the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) announce new 2025 allogeneic survival data: Northside BMT has overperformed one-year allogeneic survival outcomes for seventeen consecutive years.
NH-BMT is the ONLY BMT program in the country and the ONLY BMT program in Georgia to have achieved survival outcomes that significantly exceed the expected one-year survival rate for allogeneic and unrelated donor transplants for the last 17 consecutive reporting cycles (2009–2025) and is one of only 8 national centers (less than 2.5% of all centers) to over-perform for the current annual reporting cycle.
NH-BMT is the largest allogeneic BMT program in Georgia. To view brochure click here.
The program’s actual one-year survival rate, as reported in the December 2025 Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) final 2025 Transplant Center Specific Survival Report (page 35, center 151) and nmdp.org, is 78.9%. *
For additional survival data details, visit bmtga.com/bmt-survival-data.
*Survival information includes only patients who received their first allogeneic transplant between January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2023, using unrelated or related donors and who had reported follow-up.
WSB’s radio program, Doctors on Call, interview
On April 12, 2026, WSB’s Doctors on Call radio host, Belinda Skelton, interviewed Dr. Melhem Solh, a physician at The Blood & Marrow Transplant Group of Georgia and the medical director of Northside’s Cellular Therapy Program, who described treatment updates and how our program provides leading-edge therapies for our patients.
Congratulations to Dr. Bachier and the Northside Immunotherapy Program Clinical Research Team on Their Collaborative Poster Presentations at the 2026 ASCO and European Hematology Association Annual Meetings
We congratulate Dr. Bachier and the Northside Immunotherapy Program Clinical Research Team on the presentation of their collaborative research posters at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and European Hematology Association (EHA) Annual Meetings.
We also extend our sincere appreciation to Kite, a Gilead company, and Bristal Myers Squibb for their continued partnership and support of our Immunotherapy Program. Through these collaboration, we can offer patients access to state-of-the-art clinical research trials and commercially available CAR T-cell therapies, helping advance innovative treatment options and improve patient outcomes.
First mantle cell lymphoma patient in novel therapy trial
he Northside Hospital Cancer Institute announced its Blood & Marrow Transplant (BMT), Leukemia and Immunotherapy Clinical Research Program has enrolled the first mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) patient nationwide in an early-phase clinical trial evaluating novel dual-target CAR T-cell therapies for patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma.
The study, titled "A Phase 1/2 Open-Label, Multicenter Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of KITE-363 or KITE-753, utilizing Kite’s DuoCore™ construct, two independent CARs working synergistically, in Subjects with Relapsed and/or Refractory B-cell Lymphoma (NCT04989803)," is sponsored by Kite, A Gilead Company. The trial is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of investigational autologous CAR T-cell therapies KITE-363 and KITE-753, which target both CD19 and CD20 antigens.
The FDA has removed the limitations of use in patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) for YESCARTA, CAR T-cell Therapy
YESCARTA is the first and only LBCL CAR T therapy to have the PCNSL limitation removed.[1]
PCNSL is a rare and aggressive form of NHL, accounting for approximately 1% of all NHL cases, leaving patients with few treatment options. Up until now, all LBCL CAR T therapies carried FDA limitations excluding or cautioning use in this population due to concerns around neurotoxicity and limited safety data.[1-3]
YESCARTA is a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy indicated for the treatment of:Adult patients with large B-cell lymphoma that is refractory to first-line chemoimmunotherapy or that relapses within 12 months of first-line chemoimmunotherapy. (1.1)
New guidelines for multiple myeloma care
Treatment for multiple myeloma is changing quickly — and that is good news for patients.
In 2019, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and Ontario Health jointly published evidence-based recommendations for the treatment of multiple myeloma.1 Since then, several major clinical trials have reshaped how this disease is managed.
In 2026, updated guidelines were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.2 The updated guidelines are based on a systematic review and were developed by a multidisciplinary expert panel, which included a patient representative and an ASCO guidelines staff member with health research methodology expertise.
Jackie’s story: Her Large Cell Lymphoma journey
In April 2008, at the age of 29, I developed persistent flu and pneumonia-like symptoms. Progressive symptoms including fever, aching, lethargy, pain, my first asthma attack in 20 years, and fluid around my heart landed me in the ICU, where I remained for nearly a month! While hospitalized, I was diagnosed with Stage IV Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL), situated in my lungs.
My diagnosis came about a week into my hospitalization, and my first treatment wasadministered under sedation. Fortunately, I had a quick response to treatment and officially went into remission/NED later that year. Fortunately, I had a quick response to treatment and officially went into remission/NED later that year. In October, my life was back on track, I regained some independence and my hair grew back. For four years I enjoyed life, participating in survivor camps across the country (First Descents, Project Koru, Camp Hope). I felt free and wanted to put cancer behind me. I did.
Patient Stories
Eva’s story: Her multiple myeloma journey
Eva Podstata of Canton is a nurse at Northside Hospital Cherokee. She is used to caring for others. But in March 2021, she became the patient after she began experiencing persistent hip pain. At 59, she attributed it to “old age.”
The pain became so severe, Eva said, that it took all she had just to walk to her office each day. Click Here to read full interview
Dawn’s story: Living with GVHD
Dawn Goodfriend, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, said she’d never been in the hospital except for a tonsillectomy in 1969. That all changed in January 2020, when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and began treatment through the Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program at Northside Hospital. After a life-saving stem cell transplant, Dawn developed graft-versus-host disease...Click Here to read full interview
April’s story: Strength, survival and purpose after cancer
In March 2014, after nearly three months of worsening symptoms and extensive testing, April Byrd of Douglasville was diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Her journey began with a series of visits to her dermatologist for treatment for recurrent cysts. She would later also experience chest pain... Click Here to read full interview
Margaret's story: A life of blessings after leukemia
Margaret Marcinkowski of Johns Creek is a 27-year survivor of leukemia. When she was diagnosed in June 1998, she was 36 years old, married, the mother of three children, ages 8, 5 and 1, and starting a job search to go back to work.
This is her story, told in her own words...Click Here to read full interview
