Bone marrow transplant, Bone marrow transplant in Delhi, Bone marrow transplant in India, Bone marrow transplant specialist, Bone marrow transplant doctors, Best Doctors for Bone Marrow, Bone Marrow Transplant Cost, Surgery Tour India
Bone marrow is a spongy tissue found inside bones. The bone
marrow in the breast bone, skull, hips, ribs and spine contains stem cells that
produce the body’s blood cells. These blood cells include white blood cells
(leukocytes), which fight infection; red blood cells (erythrocytes), which
carry oxygen to and remove waste products from organs and tissues; and
platelets, which enable the blood to dot
Why Transplant ?
In patients with leukemia, aplastic anemia, and some immune
deficiency diseases, the stem cells in the bone marrow malfunction, producing
an excessive number of defective or immature blood cells (in the case of
leukemia) or low blood cell counts (in the case of aplastic anemia). The
immature or defective blood cells interfere with the production of normal blood
cells, accumulate in the bloodstream and may invade other tissues.
Large doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation are required to
destroy the abnormal stem cells and abnormal blood cells. These therapies,
however, not only kill the abnormal cells but can destroy normal cells found in
the bone marrow as well. Similarly, aggressive chemotherapy used to treat some
lymphomas and other cancers can destroy healthy bone marrow. A bone marrow
transplant enables physicians to treat these diseases with aggressive
chemotherapy and/or radiation by allowing replacement of the diseased or
damaged bone marrow after the chemotherapy/radiation treatment.
While bone marrow transplants do not provide 100 percent
assurance that the disease will not recur, a transplant can increase the
likelihood of a cure or at least prolong the period of disease-free survival
for many patients.
Types Of Transplants in India
In a bone marrow transplant, the patient’s diseased bone
marrow is destroyed and healthy marrow is infused into the patient’s
blood-stream. In a successful transplant, the new bone marrow migrates to the
cavities of the large bones, engrafts and begins producing normal blood cells.
If bone marrow from a donor is used, the transplant is
called an “allogeneic” BMT, or “syngeneic” BMT if the donor is an identical
twin. In an allogeneic BMT, the new bone marrow infused into the patient must
match the genetic makeup of the patient’s own marrow as perfectly as possible.
Special blood tests are conducted to determine whether or not the donor’s bone
marrow matches the patient’s. If the donor’s bone marrow is not a good genetic
match, it will perceive the patient’s body as foreign material to be attacked
and destroyed. This condition is known as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and
can be life-threatening. Alternatively, the patient’s immune system may destroy
the new bone marrow. This is called graft rejection.
There is a 35 percent chance that a patient will have a
sibling whose bone marrow is a perfect match. If the patient has no matched
sibling, a donor may be located in one of the international bone marrow donor
registries, or a mis-matched or autologous transplant may be considered.
In some cases, patients may be their own bone marrow donors.
This is called an autologous BMT and is possible if the disease afflicting the
bone marrow is in remission or if the condition being treated does not involve
the bone marrow (e.g. breast cancer, ovarian cancer, Hodgkin’s disease,
non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and brain tumors). The bone marrow is extracted from
the patient prior to transplant and may be “purged” to remove lingering
malignant cells (if the disease has afflicted the bone marrow).
Preparing For The Transplant in india
A successful transplant requires the patient be healthy
enough to undergo the rigors of the transplant procedure. Age, general physical
condition, the patient’s diagnosis and the stage of the disease are all
considered by the physician when determining whether a person should undergo a
transplant.
Prior to a bone marrow transplant, a battery of tests is
carried out to ensure the patient is physically capable of undergoing a
transplant. Tests of the patient’s heart, lung, kidney and other vital organ
functions are also used to develop a patient “baseline” against which
post-transplant tests can be compared to determine if any body functions have
been impaired. The pre-transplant tests are usually done on an outpatient
basis.
A successful bone marrow transplant requires an expert
medical team – doctors, nurses, and other support staff – who are experienced
in bone marrow transplants, can promptly recognize problems and emerging side
effects, and know how to react swiftly and properly if problems do arise. A
good bone marrow transplant program will also recognize the importance of
providing patients and their families with emotional and psychological support
before, during and after the transplant, and will make personal and other support
systems readily available to families for this purpose.
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