A Bone marrow transplant is a medical procedure that is carried out to introduce stem cells into your body to substitute bone marrow that is not producing enough blood cells.
Usually, a bone marrow transplant is needed anytime the body itself becomes incapable of producing enough healthy cells on its own. Based on the sourcing of bone marrow, from inside the body or from a donor, the procedure is broadly divided into two types.
- Allogenic Stem Cell transplant is when bone marrow is sourced from a matching donor.
- Autologous Stem cell transplant, when the bone marrow is sourced from within the body
Why is a Bone Marrow transplant needed?
A bone marrow transplant can help a patient recover safely from various cancerous & non-cancerous illnesses as in the case of the following medical conditions.
- For the treatment of acute leukemia, a bone marrow transplant is a preferred course of treatment.
- For Immune deficiency diseases, bone marrow transplant treatment has been proven to show positive results.
- Inborn metabolism errors & diseases caused by plasma cell disorder are treated with some success using bone marrow transplants.
Particularly for the treatment of cancerous diseases while undergoing chemotherapy, bone marrow therapy is done parallelly. This ensures replenishment of the bone marrow damaged as a consequence of chemo. This is highly useful in somewhat reducing the unwanted side effects of chemotherapy.
What are the Risks associated?
As with any medical bone marrow transplant procedure, bone marrow is usually associated with some sort of side effects. Although these side effects vary widely in symptoms & magnitude from patient to patient, in the long run, the benefits far outweigh the potential side effects. Having said that, it is still seen in some cases hospitalization may be required. Hence it is necessary to keep note of the common side effects of an aml bone marrow transplant, these include.
- Organ Damage.
- Infections
- Infertility
- GVHD’s also called “Graft vs Host diseases”.
A particularly dangerous side effect of a bone marrow transplant can be observed as in the case GVHD’s. Although it is only observed in the case of an allogeneic bone marrow transplant, for most people, the symptoms can be chronic. Some common symptoms include
- Muscle & joint pains
- Breath Shortness.
- Rashes, change in skin stiffness & discoloration.
- Diarrhea, Nausea & vomiting.
Conditioning Phase
Once the pre-procedure steps & tests are completed, it is necessary to undergo a conditioning phase that prepares the body to receive the incoming treatment. During this phase, the body usually undergoes chemotherapy & radiation therapy to reduce the effect of cancer as in the case of leukemia, bone marrow transplants. In the case of non-cancerous diseases, immunosuppressors are administered to make it easier for the body to accept the donor stem cells.
Bone Marrow Transplant phase & Aftercare
After the conditioning phase, the actual infusion phase is mostly painless, but it is very important to keep physically & mentally fit, as the body is in this stage very vulnerable to sudden infections & general sicknesses.
This is why aftercare for a patient who has received a bone marrow transplant is also particularly important. Once the bone marrow is infused into the body it will begin the process of multiplication also known as engraftment, unit it returns to a naturally occurring concentration in the blood. During this convalescing period, most of the side effects discussed are seen.
Contact Us:
Gift of Life Marrow Registry
Phone: (800) 962-7769