What Exactly Heppens in Bone Marrow Transplant to Treat Cancer

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Bone Marrow is sponge like material found particularly inside the pelvic bones. Bone marrow produces the cells which develop into the three different types of blood cells namely, RBC, WBC and Platelets. Function of RBC is to reach oxygen to all the parts of body. WBC helps to fight infection and platelets helps prevent clots and bleeding.

Bone marrow transplants is a type of treatment for many different types of cancer, but they are most frequently used for leukaemias or lymphomas. Bone marrow transplants can happen int wo ways, either the patinet’s own bone marrow may be used or there may be a donor, medical term for it is Allogeneic transplants. In case of Allogeneic transplants the donor involved is a close and blood relative like a brother or sister whose bone marrow matches with the patients. Occasionally aan exact math can also be found in someone unrelated also.

When a bone marrow transplant is required first the patient’s own bone marrow is dsitroyed with the help of high doses of chemotherapy, many a times combined with radiotherapy. After completion of this procedure new bone marrow is injected through drip. The new bone marrow takes some time to settle into the new body and start performing its normal functons again. This is the period when the patient is under medical care and observation 24X7. They are at a high risk of infection. It is a crucial period as the new bone marrow is getting used to the new body and trying to perfrom its fucntions. The doctors may be giving antibiotics and the patient may require blood transfusion.

Next six months after bone marrow transplant are important, and regular visits to doctor for a checkup are a must. This to keep a check for the cancer cells not coming back or re-developing. Graft-versus-host disease is a name given to the symtpom where the bone marrow injected starts reacting inside the body. Symptoms of graft-versus-host disease may be diarrhoea, skin rashes and jaundice. Under normal circumstances drugs will be prescribed after the transplant to prevent graft-versus-host disease from developing.
Coming to the second type of tansplant i.e. when the patient’s own bone marrow is used.

The first step here is to collect heathy bone marrow from person’s own body. Then it’s injected through the drip. And again one is in the medical obesrvation in the hospital until the bone marrow settles down and starts functioning as it is supposed to. After being discharged the patient has to keep coming back for general check ups to see if the cancer cells are not developing again.