Bone Marrow Treatment is a life-saving medical procedure that replaces damaged or diseased bone marrow with healthy stem cells. It is a cornerstone therapy for blood cancers and other haematological disorders, offering hope and healing to thousands of patients worldwide.
About Bone Marrow Transplant
Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) is a special therapy for patients with certain cancers or other diseases. A bone marrow transplant involves taking cells that are normally found in the bone marrow (stem cells), filtering those cells, and giving them back either to the donor (patient) or to another person. The goal of BMT is to transfuse healthy bone marrow cells into a person after his or her own unhealthy bone marrow has been treated to kill the abnormal cells.
Bone marrow transplant has been used successfully to treat diseases such as leukaemia, lymphomas, aplastic anaemia, immune deficiency disorders, and some solid tumour cancers.
What is Bone Marrow
Bone marrow is the soft, spongy tissue found inside bones. It is where most of the body's blood cells develop and are stored. The blood cells that make other blood cells are called stem cells. The most primitive of the stem cells is called the pluripotent stem cell.
This is different than other blood cells with regard to the following properties :
It is able to reproduce another cell identical to itself.
It is able to generate one or more subsets of more mature cells.
It is the stem cells that are needed in bone marrow transplant.
Types of Bone Marrow Transplants :
There are different types of bone marrow transplants depending on who the donor is. The different types of BMT include the following :
Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant :
The donor is the patient himself or herself. Stem cells are taken from the patient either by bone marrow harvest or apheresis (a process of collecting peripheral blood stem cells), frozen, and then given back to the patient after intensive treatment. Often the term rescue is used instead of transplant.
Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant :
The donor shares the same genetic type as the patient. Stem cells are taken either by bone marrow harvest or apheresis from a genetically matched donor, usually a brother or sister. Other donors for allogeneic bone marrow transplants may include the following :
A Parent. A haploid-identical match is when the donor is a parent and the genetic match is at least half identical to the recipient. These transplants are rare.
Unrelated Bone Marrow Transplants (Ubmt Or Mud For Matched Unrelated Donor).
The genetically matched marrow or stem cells are from an unrelated donor. Unrelated donors are found through national bone marrow registries.
Umbilical Cord Blood Transplant :
Stem cells are taken from an umbilical cord immediately after delivery of an infant. These stem cells reproduce into mature, functioning blood cells quicker and more effectively than do stem cells taken from the bone marrow of another child or adult. The stem cells are tested, typed, counted, and frozen until they are needed for a transplant.
Conditions Treated with Bone Marrow Treatment
Leukaemia (ALL, AML, CML, CLL)
Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin)
Multiple Myeloma
Severe Aplastic Anaemia
Thalassemia Major
Sickle Cell Anaemia
Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)
Genetic immune system deficiencies
Certain metabolic disorders
Process of Bone Marrow Treatment
Bone marrow treatment typically refers to a bone marrow transplant (BMT), also known as a stem cell transplant. This is a medical procedure used to treat patients with certain types of cancer (like leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma) or other serious blood and immune system diseases.
Process of Bone Marrow Treatment (Transplant)undergoes some procedures like
Pre-treatment Evaluation, Conditioning Regimen, Stem Cell Transplantation, Engraftment and Recovery.
Pre-treatment Evaluation : Blood and imaging tests, HLA typing, organ function tests.
Conditioning Regimen : High-dose chemotherapy or radiation to eliminate diseased marrow and suppress the immune system.
Stem Cell Transplantation : Healthy stem cells are infused into the bloodstream. They migrate to the bone marrow and begin producing new blood cells.
Engraftment and Recovery : Engraftment typically occurs in 2–4 weeks. Patients require close monitoring for infection, graft acceptance, and organ health.
How are a donor and recipient matched
Typing human leukocyte antigen (HLA) tissue is a step in the matching process. The genetic composition of an individual's immune system is determined by the antigens on the surface of these unique white blood cells. Although there are at least 100 HLA antigens, it is thought that a select few key antigens determine whether a donor and recipient are compatible. The others are regarded as "minor" and have a less clear impact on a successful transplant.
The function of all antigens in the bone marrow transplant procedure is still being studied in medical research. The better the engraftment of given marrow, the more antigens that match. When the given cells reach the marrow and start producing new blood cells, the stem cells undergo engraftment.
On one chromosome, the majority of the genes that "code" for the human immune system are located. A patient in need of a transplant has a 1 in 4 chance of having a sibling who obtained the same set of chromosomes and is a "full match" for transplantation because we only have two of each chromosome, one from each parent.
Diseases Treated with Bone Marrow Transplant
Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT), also known as hematopoietic stem cell transplant, is used to treat a variety of blood, bone marrow, and immune system diseases.
Below is a list of major diseases commonly treated with BMT :
Blood Cancers :
Leukemia (AML, ALL, CML, CLL)
Lymphoma (Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin)
Multiple Myeloma
Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes :
Aplastic Anaemia
Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)
Paroxysmal Nocturnal Haemoglobinuria (PNH)
Inherited Blood Disorders :
Thalassemia Major
Sickle Cell Anaemia
Fanconi Anaemia
Immunodeficiency Disorders :
Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID)
Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome
Metabolic and Genetic Disorders :
Hurler Syndrome
Adrenoleukodystrophy
Gaucher Disease (some types)
Risks of Bone Marrow Transplant
A bone marrow transplant can pose numerous risks. Some people experience minimal problems with a bone marrow transplant, while others can have serious complications that require treatment or hospitalization. Sometimes complications are life-threatening.
Your risks depend on many factors, including the disease or condition that caused you to need a transplant, the type of transplant, your age and your overall health.
Possible complications from a bone marrow transplant include :
Graft-versus-host disease (a complication of allogeneic transplant only)
Stem cell (graft) failure
Organ damage
Infections
Cataracts
Infertility
New cancers
Death
Our Healthcare Professionals at Aparant Hospital can explain your risk of complications from a bone marrow transplant and can decide of the risks and benefits whether a bone marrow transplant is right for you.