What is Bone Marrow Transplant? How to Prepare Yourself? |
Posted: August 24, 2018 |
Bone marrow is a type of cancer that begins from the marrow, a soft spongy tissue which is located inside the bones. The main purpose of bone marrow is to produce several types of blood cells like Red blood cells, which helps in oxygen transportation, white blood cells, which helps to fight infection and platelets which helps to stop bleeding. Bone Marrow Cancer Types and Treatment OptionsThere are several types of bone marrow cancers like Childhood Leukemia, Leukemia, Lymphomas and Multiple Myeloma. To treat these bone marrow cancers, there are various treatment options available, and they are performed according to the cancer type. ChemotherapyAs in any cancer, chemo is used to destroy the cancerous cells, but high doses of chemo also kill the healthy cells which in turn destroys its ability to produce new blood cells. RadiationA radiation oncologist performs this treatment, who is specialized in performing radiation therapy to the patients. This treatment uses special X-rays and high gamma rays to destroy or shrink the tumorous cells before or after surgery. There are two types of radiation one is external-beam radiation and the second type is known as internal or brachytherapy. In external-beam, the radiation is given from a machine outside the body and in internal radiation therapy it is delivered using implants over a certain interval of time. Stem Cell TransplantStem cells transplant, or bone marrow transplant replaces the damaged cells with healthy ones. The healthy cells can be used from the patient’s own body or can be gotten from a donor. In case of using the healthy cells from the patient’s own body, it should be harvested before undergoing any chemotherapy or radiation treatment. These healthy cells are grown and stored for using it in transplantation. Preparation prior a bone marrow transplantA patient should be well prepared before the bone marrow transplant to avoid any future complications. Here the doctor will carefully examine the patient’s medical history, current health condition and the type of cancer accordingly the patient will undergo the treatment. The doctor performs a series of tests to the patient before the transplant to check if they are fit enough to undergo the procedure. It includes a thorough assessment of cancer type, cancer’s extent, patient’s age, donor availability, many blood tests, chest X-rayand tests related to vital organs like heart, kidneys, lungs and monitoring them post procedure as well to check for any abnormalities. If apatient’s cell is used, which is known as autologous bone marrow transplant, then the healthy cells are collected beforehand. In some cases, allogenic transplants are performed from a related donor within a family member whose tissue matches the patient’s cells. Some patients may not find any matching donors among their family members, and they are required to search from outside donors. Choose a medical center whichhelps the patients to search for donors. Paediatric Hemato-Oncology Department at Sheba uses a top-notch technology known as human leukocyte antigen (HLA) laboratory to assist their patients in search of donors and also a member of National Marrow Donor Program. After the transplant, special care should be taken in order to avoid any infections as the immune system will be weak in first few weeks. The Paediatric Hemato-Oncology Department at Sheba offers four private treatment rooms with advanced infection control rooms including HEPA air filtration.
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