Bone Marrow Transplant in India, Bone Marrow Transplant Abroad, Bone Marrow Transplant Donor, Bone Marrow Transplant Hospitals, Bone marrow transplant, Bone marrow transplant in Delhi, Bone marrow transplant specialist, Bone marrow transplant doctors, Best Doctors for Bone Marrow, Bone Marrow Transplant Cost, Surgery Tours India
Bone marrow transplant is performed by doctors with an immense care and precaution considering its critical nature. It is a special medical procedure and a medical specialty of oncology and hematology. This procedure helps provide a new lease of life to patients suffering from life-threatening conditions, including leukemia or multiple myeloma.
What happens during bone marrow transplant?
Bone marrow is a soft tissue present inside the bones that produce WBCs, RBCs and platelets. If the stem cells fail to produce normal and healthy blood cells, then doctors recommend bone marrow transplant for replacing diseased bone marrow with a healthy one. This new stem cell is taken from a donor and implanted in the recipient’s body that further helps to produce healthy blood cells.
Sometimes for the treatment of certain cancers, the bone marrow is taken from the body of the patient itself before transplanting it back into their bodies. In the middle of the two procedures, the patient is made to undergo radiation treatment and chemotherapy, which end up destroying the healthy bone marrow. The bone marrows retrieved from the body of the patient before radiation and chemo is then transplanted.
Who are the best Candidates for Bone Marrow Transplant?
The best candidates for bone marrow transplant include individuals who are suffering from diseases certain forms of blood cancer such as myelodysplasia, leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, thalassemia, severe immunodeficiency syndrome, aplastic anemia, low blood cells counts, immature blood cells, excessive production of immature blood cells, sickle cell anemia and congenital neutropenia.
The cancer patients may require stem cell transplant if their bone marrow gets damaged by radiation or chemotherapy. The only treatment for this medical condition is radiation or chemotherapy. The chemotherapy and radiation treatment procedure help to destroy abnormal blood cells and abnormal stem cells.
However, in the process, the normal cells are also destroyed. At the same time, aggressive chemotherapy can even damage healthy bone marrow. Only a bone marrow transplant can help save the patient by replacing the destroyed bone marrow.
What are the types of Bone Marrow Transplant?
The following are the two types of bone marrow transplant:
Autologous Transplant:
In this type, the hematopoietic cells procured from the body of the patient is kept in a deep freezer before high-dose chemotherapy and radiation therapy is initiated for cancer treatment. Once the therapies are administered, the cancer cells are destroyed and in the process, normal cells are badly affected. After the therapies are over, the stored hematopoietic cells that were kept in the freezer are transplanted again into the patient’s body.
Allogenic Transplant:
This type of bone marrow transplant involves extracting the donor’s bone marrow, also called peripheral stem cells. This bone marrow is matched genetically and may or may not relate to you. Doctors may follow syngeneic bone marrow transplant that includes receiving peripheral stem cells and bone marrow of identical twins.
Who can donate bone marrow?
When a patient suffers from diseased or damaged bone marrow that is unable to produce good and healthy blood cells, he or she needs the stem cells derived from a donor for transplant. A person is eligible to become a BMT donor if his or her tissues closely match with that of the patient’s tissues.
Generally, a matching donor is from the immediate family, a child, a sister or brother or a parent. However, if a person is lucky then he or she can get the best match in a volunteer too. A cent percent match is not necessary, but the close match with a positive outcome is indispensable.
Another source of BMT cells is from the placenta and umbilical cord of a newborn. If these cells are collected from the baby and then frozen in a stem cell bank, they can be successfully used later for bone marrow transplant. This type of transplant is clinically termed cord blood transplant.
What are the benefits of getting Stem Cell Transplant?
- Ensures a healthier and longer life
- Production of healthy and normal blood cells
- Increased blood count
- New blood cells are sometimes capable of killing cancer cells
- Stem cell transplant procedure helps with the treatment of diseases such as sickle cell anaemia and cancer
What are the precaution to be taken before and after bone marrow transplant?
The precautions to be taken before and after bone marrow transplant should be followed comprehensively. Prior to getting approval for bone marrow transplant, the patient has to undergo pre-transplant evaluation.
The evaluation procedure involves consultation and discussion with members of the BMT team. Then, a series of tests is performed to assess if the patient is eligible for getting a transplant. Once you have been approved as a good candidate for bone marrow transplant, a BMT date is fixed and insurance clearance process begins.
Post bone marrow transplant, the patient suffers from a very low immune system for two to four weeks, which makes him or her susceptible to infections. Hence, the patient is put under observation and is persistently and religiously administered medications and antibiotics. The idea is to protect the patient from fungal and viral infections.
After the first one month, the graft implanted settles and produces blood cells in the bone marrow, thus improving the host’s condition. Once the graft takes hold of the recipient, drugs that were given to suppress immunity are withdrawn. Sometimes, many patients require re-immunization, which is possible through vaccines.
How much time does it take to recover after bone marrow transplant?
Autologous bone marrow transplant recovery time is usually one month, while allogeneic bone marrow transplant recovery time is at least three months. Blood count usually starts to improve only after 10 to 20 days after the transplant. In the process, the patient is continuously monitored so as to keep infections at bay. When the blood count rises, the patient’s medical condition shows better signs of improvement.
What are the complications of Bone Marrow Transplant?
Some of the complications of bone marrow transplant include bleeding, infection, liver disease and graft-versus-host disease. The pain from the complications arising out of the transplant is controlled by medication. In addition to these, mouth sores may develop making swallowing and chewing uncomfortable. Sometimes, temporary mental confusion is another major sign of complications after bone marrow transplant.
What are the best hospitals for Bone Marrow Transplant in India?
India hosts over 200 top-notch bone marrow transplant hospitals across the major cities such as New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Gurgaon and Goa. These hospitals have the best trained and experienced doctors, surgeons and nurses who are dedicated to providing personalised care and specialised services to bone marrow transplant patients.
The donor is required to stay a night at the hospitals to complete bone marrow transplant procedure. Once the stems are collected, they are sent to the laboratory for harvesting. Then, blood transfusion is performed on the body of the recipient with the help of an injection.
Remember, every cancer hospital and super-speciality unit evaluates the health condition of the patient and whether he or she is capable of tolerating certain medications before the transplant procedure and after it. If everything is fine, the patient is given a go ahead to undergo the transplant procedure.
Why people prefer bone marrow transplant in India?
Today, India has three most popular bone marrow registries, based in Chennai, and another in Delhi. The available procedures for bone marrow transplant in India include autologous transplant and allogeneic transplant.
In 2005, an extensive study was conducted from six different and most renowned transplant centers in India. The study revealed that an approximate 1,540 transplants were conducted successfully in India having a population of over a billion. India has a vision of ensuring affordable bone marrow transplant cost for the countrymen and foreign nationals traveling here to seek treatment as well. Today, the Bangalore City takes an immense pride in having the largest bone marrow transplant facility in the country.
What is Cost of Bone Marrow Transplant in India?
Bone marrow transplant cost in India starts at as low as $18,000, but this rate varies with several factors. For every transplant case, an allocated case manager is appointed who takes a personalised interest in designing the treatment plan for every patient and the bone marrow transplant cost package. The cost of bone marrow transplant also differs based on the type of the hospital and the city where it is located. Every hospital has its own examination and test facilities, infrastructure, support and surgeon fees that eventually add to the total transplant cost.
Autogenic stem cell transplant cost ranges from US$ 18,000 to $30,000 in India, while allogenic bone marrow transplant is priced between US$22,000 and $40,000 in India. Do note that this price is subject to change depending upon the type of hospital and the choice of city.
Your Name:
E-mail Address *:
No comments:
Post a Comment