Your bone marrow is responsible for producing the healthy blood cells in your body. Any disruptions in its function might give rise to a number of disorders as your immune system weakens overtime due to your body’s inability to form enough Red Blood Cells(RBCs) and White Blood Cells(WBCs).
Bone marrow transplantation is a procedure in which your bone marrow not producing enough healthy blood cells is replaced by a bone marrow that infuses healthy blood forming stem cells into your body.
In this blog we tell you what causes a disruption in the functioning of your bone marrow and when & why you need to go for a bone marrow transplantation.
What is a bone marrow transplantation?
Also known as stem cell transplant or more specifically hematopoietic stem cell transplant, Bone marrow transplant is the replacement of a bone marrow done in relation to its inability to produce healthy blood forming cells in the body.
Blood forming cells are immature cells that grow into red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, present as soft tissues in your bone marrow. As they mature they leave the bone marrow and meet the bloodstream.
The transplanted bone marrow could be taken from anyone whose stem cells match yours or in most cases the receiver’s brother or sister makes an ideal match. In some specific cases even if 50% of your stem cells match to the receivers, you can still donate it.
Bone marrow transplant : Why do you need it ?
When a cancer patient goes through several rounds of chemotherapy, the radiation tends to affect the bone marrow’s ability to produce healthy blood cells, often permanently damaging them.
A bone marrow transplant might also be needed if a bone marrow is destroyed by some other interrelated blood or bone disease.
A bone marrow transplant can be done to,
• Replace a non-functioning bone marrow with that of a healthy functioning bone marrow (primarily in conditions like leukemia, anemia , etc
• Replace the bone marrow and restore its normal functions after high doses of chemotherapy.
• Replace it with a genetically healthy functioning bone marrow to prevent any damage caused due to some genetic disorder.
Going for a bone marrow transplant is highly beneficial in conditions in which a patient might be suffering from any of the following disorder,
Leukemia, severe aplastic anemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, immune deficiency disorders, and some types of solid tumor cancers.
Conclusion:
A stem cell or bone marrow transplant is a long and complicated procedure, typical recovery time of a bone marrow transplant is about three months, the recovery could be long or short depending on other factors like the condition being treated, chemotherapy, radiation, donor match, where the transplant is being performed.
Being aware of the complications involved you might seek reliable and an assured treatment by a trusted care centre. Bansal Hospital has a dedicated department of Hematology, Hemato – Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, treating all kinds of blood disorders like leukemia and exclusively performing the bone marrow transplant procedures at completely affordable rates in the city.