Bone marrow is the soft, spongy tissue inside your bones that makes blood-forming cells (blood stem cells). These cells turn into blood cells.
- White blood cells to fight infections.
- Red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body.
- Platelets to control bleeding.
Blood-forming cells are also found in the blood stream and the umbilical cord blood.
A bone marrow transplant is a treatment that replaces unhealthy marrow with a healthy one. It’s also called a blood or marrow transplant (BMT). Healthy stem cells can come from a donor, or they can come from your own body.
What diseases can BMT treat?
- Blood cancers like leukaemia or lymphoma & multiple myeloma
- Bone marrow diseases like aplastic anaemia
- Other immune system or genetic diseases like sickle cell disease, thalassemia
- Chronic infections
- Damaged bone marrow due to chemotherapy
- Congenital neutropenia, which is an inherited disorder that causes recurring infections
Types of BMT
- Autologous Transplant – uses your own blood-forming cells
- Allogeneic Transplant – uses blood-forming cells donated by someone else
- Haploidentical Transplant – a type of allogeneic transplant
How does transplant work?
Before transplant, you get chemotherapy (chemo) with or without radiation to destroy the diseased blood-forming cells and marrow. Then, healthy cells are given to you (it’s not surgery). The new cells go into your bloodstream through an intravenous (IV) line, or tube just like getting blood or medicine through an IV. The cells find their way into your marrow, where they grow and start to make healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
Bone Marrow Transplant team
May include haematologists, cancer specialists (oncologists), mental health specialists (psychologists and psychiatrists), a bone marrow transplant scheduling coordinator, transfusion medicine nurses, trained and specialised nurses, physician assistants, social workers, a nurse coordinator, a clinical nurse specialist, a dietitian, pharmacists, a chaplain and a child life specialist for children undergoing bone marrow transplant.
How a Bone Marrow Transplant is Performed?
When your doctor thinks you’re ready, you’ll have the transplant. The procedure is similar to a blood transfusion. If you’re having an allogeneic transplant, bone marrow cells will be harvested from your donor a day or two before your procedure. If your own cells are being used, they’ll be retrieved from the stem cell bank.
Cells are collected in two ways: During a bone marrow harvest, cells are collected from both hipbones through a needle. You’re under anaesthesia for this procedure, meaning you’ll be asleep and free of any pain.
|DURING YOUR BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT||AFTER YOUR BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT|
Complications associated with a Bone Marrow Transplant
Your chances of developing these complications depend on several factors like your age, your overall health, the disease you’re being treated for and the type of transplant you’ve received.
Complications can be mild or very serious, and they can include:
- Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), which is a condition in which donor cells attack your body
- Graft failure, which occurs when transplanted cells don’t begin producing new cells as planned
- Bleeding in the lungs, brain, and other parts of the body
- Cataracts, which is characterized by clouding in the lens of the eye
- Damage to vital organs
- Early menopause
- Anaemia, which occurs when the body doesn’t produce enough red blood cells
- Nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting
- Mucositis, which is a condition that causes inflammation and soreness in the mouth, throat, and
Talk to your doctor about any concerns you may have. They can help you weigh the risks and complications against the potential benefits of this procedure.
India is becoming the most preferred healthcare destination globally.
The superlative medical treatment provided by the skilled doctors in world-class infrastructure at nearly one third the cost compared to Western Europe, North America and some Southeast Asian countries adds up to India’s credentials.
India is a trusted name in BMT for international patients, as the hospitals here have not just a highly qualified BMT team, but also very stringent infection control norms which are critical for BMT patients.
Bone Marrow Transplant in India is performed through cutting- edge clinical solutions, research, extraordinary patient care and infrastructure of world-class standards. Bone Marrow Transplant is a complex non surgical exercise and needs highly skilled consultants, ingenious technical staff and advanced technology working with perfect harmony, enormous dedication and team work. India offers a one stop solution for all those seeking critical procedures such as Bone Marrow Transplant.