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Southeast Lab Services, previously located at 62 Doctors’ Park, is now open at 60 Doctors’ Park, upper level. Office hours are Monday – Friday from 8am – 4:30 pm.

Cancer Center

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Cancer Center

Southeast Cancer Center

789 South Mount Auburn Road
Cape Girardeau, MO 63703
573.519.4800

Southeast Hematology/Oncology Clinic - Dexter

1200 N. One Mile Road
(Inside Southeast Specialty Clinic)
Dexter, MO 63841
573.519.4830

Southeast Hematology and Oncology Clinic - PCMH

212 Hospital Lane
Suite 216
Perryville, MO 63775
573.591.4830

Cancer is more than a physical disease. It can affect many areas of your life, including your emotional health.

At Southeast Cancer Center, our approach to care combines expert treatments with a focus on whole-person healing and improving quality of life for our patients.

We want to help you focus on living your life while we take care of your cancer.

Our Oncologists and Cancer Specialists

Is bone marrow donation as painful as it looks on TV?

Reviewed 10/26/2022

Bone marrow donation: True or false?

For people with leukemia, lymphoma and many other life-threatening diseases, a bone marrow transplant may be the best—or only—hope for a cure. It replaces diseased stem cells—immature cells that become blood cells—with healthy ones. And these cells are collected from a donor. How much do you know about bone marrow donation?

True or false: Donating always requires surgery.

False. Today stem cells are usually collected from a donor's blood with an IV. And when surgery is required, it's a minor procedure. Doctors remove bone marrow—soft, fatty tissue inside bones that contains stem cells—from the back of pelvic bones.

True or false: Donation is incredibly painful.

False. Surgery to remove bone marrow is done with general or regional anesthesia. So there's no pain at all during the procedure. There may be some discomfort later, such as a headache or achy back or hip. Donating stem cells from blood, which takes about three hours, might cause a headache or sore bones.

True or false: You can sometimes donate stem cells to yourself.

True. There are two types of donation. In the first type, people donate cells to others. If you donate cells to someone else, your genes and the other person's must at least partly match. Siblings make the best matches. But sometimes other relatives are also good matches.

True or false: Most people who need stem cells can get them from family members.

False. Only about 30% of people who need a transplant have a relative who is a good match. The other 70%—or some 12,000 people every year in the U.S.—turn to a bone marrow registry, such as bethematch.com. Registries store the information of people who are willing to donate so doctors can find matching donors.

True or false: A donor's age matters.

True. Doctors request donors ages 18 to 35 about 75% of the time. That's because studies show that cells from younger donors lead to better long-term survival for people who have had bone marrow transplants.

Using donated bone marrow or stem cells is just one way doctors treat diseases of the blood like leukemia. Learn more about leukemia in both children and adults.

Visit the leukemia topic center

Sources: Be the Match; Health Resources and Services Administration; National Library of Medicine

One of the main reasons to trust Southeast Cancer Center with your care is our expert team, each of whom was handpicked to serve people who have been diagnosed with cancer.

Our staff includes:

  • Board certified hematologist/oncologists, and radiation oncologists
  • Certified oncology nurses who have special training in chemotherapy and biotherapy
  • A medical physicist, certified medical dosimetrist and registered radiation therapists, all of whom have specialty training in designing and delivering personally customized radiation therapy treatments
  • Nurse navigators who coordinate cancer risk genetic testing, explore the availability of cancer clinical trials and serve as a clinical resource to assist patients during their cancer journey
  • Journey guides who serve as a resource to patients and caregivers, from diagnosis throughout treatment and into survivorship
  • A dietitian who is specially trained in oncology and nutrition for patients during and after treatment
  • Social workers who can assist patient and caregiver with various needs throughout the course of a patient's treatment, including advance directives, financial resources and medication assistance
  • Oncology rehabilitation and lymphedema specialists
  • Palliative care
  • An entire team of staff committed to the well-being of people who have been diagnosed with cancer

We also work with all specialists and surgeons as needed.

Leading-Edge Cancer Treatments and Services

Our cancer specialists stay abreast of current cancer treatments and offer proven and evidence-based care.

We can offer you the most advanced treatment options, such as:

Chemotherapy. Powerful cancer-fighting drugs and immunotherapies are available in our Southeast Infusion Center. Each of our comfortable, semiprivate treatment bays features satellite TV, DVD players and access to our multimedia library as well as seating for your caregiver.

We offer chemotherapy services at our oncology/hematology and infusion center clinics in Dexter and Perryville too.

Radiation therapy. Southeast Cancer Center earned and maintained the prestigious accreditation from the American College of Radiology since 2009. Thanks to sophisticated technology, we can treat cancer with the utmost precision. For instance, we have the technology to shape the course of radiation to match the dimensions of the tumor. This approach spares healthy tissue, which may mean reduced side effects.

Make an Appointment at Southeast Cancer Center

You don't have to travel far to get great cancer care. To learn more about our cancer services or make an appointment at any of our locations, call 573.519.4800.