Bone marrow transplant is a way of giving very high dose chemotherapy, sometimes with whole body radiotherapy. This treatment aims to try to cure some types of cancer, such as leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma. The bone marrow is the spongy substance inside your bones which makes all your blood cells.
Bone marrow transplant - When is it required?
Sometimes the marrow is diseased in certain cancerous and non-cancerous diseases like leukaemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, sickle celled anaemia, thalassemia, aplastic anaemia, congenital neutropenia etc. In some other cases the bone marrow is destroyed by heavy doses of chemotherapy for cancers elsewhere in the body. In these cases replacement by a healthy bone marrow is required for the survival of the patient.
This replacement of the diseased or destroyed bone marrow by a healthy marrow is known as bone marrow transplant (BMT). In all these cases there is malfunctioning of the bone marrow which results in reduced / defective blood cell productionIn a bone marrow transplant, 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.
Different types of Bone Marrow Transplant
There are three kinds of bone marrow transplants:
Autologous bone marrow transplant: "Auto" means "self." Immature marrow cells (stem cells) are removed from the patient himself before he receives high-dose chemotherapy or radiation treatment. After these treatments are done, the stems cells are put back in the body. This is called a "rescue" transplant.
Allogeneic bone marrow transplant: "Allo" means "other." Immature marrow cells are removed from another person, called a donor. Most times, the donor must have the same genetic makeup as the patient, so that their blood is a "match" to the patient's. Special blood tests are done to determine if a donor is a good match for the patient. A brother or sister is most likely to be a good match. However, sometimes parents, children, and other relatives may be good matches. If the patient's identical twin becomes the donor then it is called Syngeneic bone marrow transplant. Donors who are not related to the patient may be found through international bone marrow registries.
Umbilical cord blood transplant: Immature marrow cells (stem cells) are removed from a new born baby's umbilical cord immediately after being born. The stem cells are stored until they are needed for a transplant. Umbilical cord blood cells are so immature, that the problem of mismatch seldom occurs.
Bone Marrow Transplant Procedure
You can get several benefits from the expertise of HealthTripToIndia which has helped a large number of patients from all around the world to get high quality medical treatment in India at best value.
Step 1 Extraction / Harvesting of bone marrow cells from the donor by making few punctures under General Anaesthesia. High dose of chemotherapy or radiotherapy is given to destroy the diseased marrow or destroy the cancer elsewhere and also to suppress the patient's own immune system (in case of allogeneic transplant), so that the blood stem cells are not rejected.
Step 2 Pre-engraftment (before the transplanted blood stem cells start working). After high dose chemo-radiotherapy, the blood stem cells are destroyed and normal blood cells are not produced. The patients need to be kept in a clean room within the BMT unit in strict isolation during this time. They also need a lot of blood and platelet transfusion.
Step 3 Post-engraftment (after the transplanted blood stem cells start working). Once the donated stem cells start functioning, the patients can come out of critical isolation. As the counts of blood cells steadily increase and the patient improves clinically, he/she can be discharged. However regular checkup and follow-ups are essential to detect any health problem or graft versus host reactions.
A bone marrow transplant may completely or partially cure your illness. If the transplant is a success, you can go back to most of your normal activities as soon as you feel well enough. Most times it takes up to 1 year to recover fully.
It can take as long as a year for the new bone marrow to function normally. Patients are closely monitored during this time to identify any infections or complications that may develop.
How to get started ?
The patient should have a related and matching donor. The following tests should be done for both patient and the related donor and also please email the reports to us for opinion by India's leading specialist doctors
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 systemsreadily available to families for this purpose. All this is and more is provided at our affiliate hospitals. We make this difficult journey easy for the patient and his relatives.
Bone Marrow Transplant at HealthTripToIndia affiliated Super Speciality Hospitals in India
- HLA typing
- Serum Ferritin Report
- Blood screening Report
Frequently asked questions (FAQ) Bone Cancer Treatment
What about the waiting period?
For a Living Donor Transplant there is now waiting period at all. HealtTripToIndia ensures a zero waiting period to all its customers. HealtTripToIndia books all the appointments, hospital room etc. in advance for its customers.
How many days the patient and the donor need to stay in India?
The patient has to stay in India for a total of about 3 months including pre-transplant evaluation and preparation, the actual transplant and stabilization in the immediate post transplant follow up period. After transplant, the patient will have to be in hospital for a month and after the discharge from the hospital, the patient has to stay in India for another 5-7 weeks for follow up.
The donor (close relative or family member only) is discharged from hospital after 8-10 days and allowed to go out his/her home country after another 12-15 days of stay in India. After going back to the home country he/she can lead a very normal life as it was before the liver donation.
What about the stay in India after the discharge from the hospital?
HealthTripToIndia has tie-ups with several hotels, guest houses, service apartments etc located nearby hospitals and we will help you in finding and booking suitable place for the patient and the donor. Usually the room charges may vary from 50-120 US Dollars per night depending upon the type of room and the hotel you choose.
What about travel?
You must have a Passport and will have to apply for Indian Visa at the Indian Embassy in your home country before you can fly to India for the surgery. HealthTripToIndia.com will arrange a formal letter from the Hospital/Surgeon which will enable you to get Indian Visa on priority within 7 days of application.
Do I need to pay for the services of HealthTripToIndia?
We do not charge any fees or collect any money upfront from our customers. The customer makes the payment directly to the hospital after the admission. Various modes are available for making payment to the hospital- cash, bank wire transfer, credit or debit cards, travellers cheque etc..
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