Who needs Bone Marrow Transplantation

Bone Marrow is an amazing organ spread all through the body, producing millions of cells every moment of our life to keep us well and healthy. Any disease affecting the bone marrow affects our entire body, replacing the diseased or failing bone marrow with healthy marrow stem cells is the process of Bone Marrow Transplantation.

The diseased or failing bone marrow is usually replaced by healthy marrow from a normal donor. This process is called ALLOGENEIC BMT.

BONE MARROW from a patient who is suffering from a cancer which has not affected the marrow can be collected and frozen. This can be used to rescue the bone marrow of the same patient after administration of high dose chemotherapy. This process is called AUTOLOGOUS BMT.

Blood Cancers

Any blood cancer (leukemia) or lymph gland cancer (Lymphoma) which is not completely cured with chemotherapy or recurs after completion of chemotherapy (relapse), can be cured with Allogeneic or Autologous BMT in about half of the patients.

Thalassemia and Other Genetic Conditions

In these conditions, the defective bone marrow cells can be killed by chemotherapy and replaced by marrow from a healthy donor. The chances of success in these conditions, if carried out early enough are 80 – 90%.

Aplastic Anaemia and Related Conditions

In these conditions, the bone marrow does not produce enough stem cells and healthy stem cells can repopulate the bone marrow with less amount of ‘conditioning’.

Other Cancers

Many other cancers which do not arise from the bone marrow can be cured by infusing patient’s own stem cells which could be collected and frozen before administration of high dose chemotherapy. Lymphomas, Brain Tumours and many other cancers of childhood respond to this treatment called ‘Autologous Transplantation’.