HOW DOES THE BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT WORK ?

How does the bone marrow transplant work ?

How does the bone marrow transplant work ?

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A Bone Marrow Transplant or stem cell transplant is a treatment method for certain types of cancers directly related to blood cells. In this procedure, the unhealthy blood cells are replaced with healthy stem cells where they are producing blood in the bone marrow, which is usually surgeons collected from the patients before the chemotherapy procedure so that they can be given back after therapy to the patient. It is called autologous stem cell transplant and the other type is allogeneic stem cell transplant where stem cells are taken from a donor Bones stream.

Types of Bone Marrow Transplants


There are three main types of BMT:

  1. Autologous Transplant: This is where the patient's own stem cells are used for treatment. These are collected before chemotherapy or radiation, stored, and then infused into the patient's body after the therapy is completed.


  2. Allogeneic Transplant – Uses stem cells from a donor. The donor may be anyone interested in donating a life-saving element where the donor should be a closed match tissue with the Patient.

  3. Syngeneic Transplant – Used in limited instances,  stem cells are required from identical twins.



The choice depends on the disease or his caretakers, the patient’s condition, and the availability of a donor.

The Transplant Process



  1. Conditioning Treatment: Before the transplant, the patient goes through high-dose chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. This process destroys the diseased bone marrow and conquers the immune system to help the body accept new stem cells.


  2. Stem Cell Infusion: Healthy stem cells slurry are insp into the patient’s bloodstream through a vein, similar to a blood transfusion.


  3. Engraftment: This Process is very crucial for restoring the blood cells inside the patient's body for producing new bone marrow stem cells. This process generally starts within 2 weeks to 4 weeks after successful infusion of healthy bone marrow.


 

Healing and Monitoring


Recovery after a bone marrow transplant takes time. After transplant the immune systems of patients are very weak at first, so patients are at high risk for infections. Frequent blood tests, medications, and sometimes isolation are required during this span. Full immune recovery may take around months to over a year. Close observation is compulsory to detect any Kind of complication in its earliest stage like graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in allogeneic transplants.

Conclusion and Quality of Life


If a transplant is successfully done, a BMT can cure or significantly improve the life expectancy of Patients for many serious diseases. However, it comes with risks and possible side effects. With proper care and follow-up, many patients can return to normal their normal life over time.

 

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