Dorothy FarrarBone Marrow Transplant & Blood Stem Cell Transplantation
Peripheral blood stem cell and bone marrow transplantation are used to transfer blood stem cells from one person to another, for example as part of leukemia treatment. Peripheral blood stem cells come from the blood of a donor, while the stem cells from the bone marrow usually belong to the so-called red bone marrow.
Description
Both peripheral blood stem cell transplantation and bone marrow transplantation provide the recipient of the donation with blood stem cells capable of forming different blood cells. These include platelets, white and red blood cells. The goal is the same for both forms of transplantation. Basically, the donor and recipient can be the same person or two different people. In the best case, a successful transplant can enable a complete cure of the recipient, but the recurrence of cancer remains conceivable: about 20% of bone marrow transplant recipients develop leukemia again.
Applications
Typical applications of bone marrow transplantation & blood stem cell transplantation:
- Lymphoma
- Anaemia
- Cancer
One of the most important applications of blood stem cell and bone marrow transplantation is the treatment of cancer. People suffering from lymphoma or leukemia form damaged blood cells in their body, which leads to the development of typical symptoms such as anemia and non-specific complaints, which are characteristic of numerous tumor diseases. In order to make blood production in the body possible again without causing disturbances or complications, new blood stem cells must enter the patient’s organism.
However, the body itself is not able to produce new blood stem cells – which is why those affected are dependent on donations from volunteers. Because the blood stem cells of a person suffering from leukemia are affected by the cancer, treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy destroy these cells to control the disease. These destroyed cells then require a replacement.
What methods and procedures are there?
The transplantation procedures can be distinguished not only according to the type of stem cell extraction into peripheral blood stem cell and bone marrow transplantation, but also into allogeneic and autologous stem cell transplantation. Medicine speaks of an autologous blood stem cell transfusion when the donor and recipient are one and the same person. In this case, a doctor will remove stem cells from the person before radiation and/or chemotherapy destroys their bone marrow. Subsequently, the patient receives his own stem cells back as a blood transfusion. In contrast, allogeneic transplantation uses another person as the source of the blood stem cells. Which method is most suitable and even possible depends on the individual case.
What does the patient have to consider?
The bone marrow donor usually receives local anesthesia before the stem cells are removed and possibly also a sedative to facilitate the procedure. After the donation has been made, the person concerned should therefore generally not drive vehicles or machines and should also comply with the general restrictions imposed by the medication. In addition, the donor is subject to the general risks of bone marrow or blood sampling.
The recipient is usually given certain medications that intentionally suppress the immune system . Thesis Immunosuppressive drugsare intended to prevent the adult immune cells, which are also contained in the blood transfusion, from attacking the recipient’s body. As a result, however, the recipient also experiences an increased risk of infectious diseasesand similar complications and must often exercise special caution at least for the duration of treatment, including avoiding typical sources of infection and sick people as far as possible; Special care in hygiene is also an advantage. Those affected may have to observe further restrictions. The preceding chemotherapy and radiation therapy can also contribute tocontribute to the weakening of the immune system . Patients need to take the prescribed medications urgently to reduce the risk of graft-versus-host disease.
Execution – How does the transplantation work?
For the donor, there is a clear difference in the course of the transplantation, depending on which procedure is involved. In peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, practitioners obtain the blood stem cells from a blood donation , whereby physicians first have to stimulate the donor’s stem cells to migrate from the bone marrow into the blood. They achieve this with the help of a suitable drug that represents a messenger substance.
The donor receives it as an injection and, as a result, blood stem cells pass from the bone marrow into the blood until about a week after the start of the medication, the stem cells are available by taking the blood. The donor retains enough of their own blood stem cells so that the procedure does not affect their health. The recipient receives the blood stem cells as a transfusion into a vein. The transfusion solution does not contain isolated stem cells, but also adult cells of the immune system. In the recipient’s body, the stem cells migrate back to where they are naturally located: the bone marrow. In the case of a successful blood stem cell or bone marrow transplant, the newly settled cells take over the task of forming blood cells again.
Bone marrow transplantation is similar to peripheral blood stem cell transplantation; However, in this case, a doctor does not take the stem cells from the donor’s blood, but directly from the bone marrow. The puncture usually takes place in the pelvis, where a hollow needle sucks in the stem cells from the inside of the bone. A third option, which is less common, is cord blood transfusion, in which the stem cells come from the blood of the Umbilical cord .
Who bears the costs?
Under certain circumstances, health insurance can cover the costs of a peripheral blood stem cell transplant or a bone marrow transplant. In addition to the presence of a corresponding disease such as leukemia, however, further requirements are necessary in some cases. Transplantation may not be appropriate for every form of blood cancer. The health insurance company may only approve the assumption of costs if a previous treatment with chemotherapy and radiotherapy was unsuccessful. Patients can contact their doctor and health insurance company to discuss a possible transplant and coverage for their individual case.
Risks, complications and side effects
Before blood stem cell transplantation or bone marrow transplantation, the attending physician ensures that the donor and recipient are compatible with each other. Despite this caution, however, it is possible for a defensive immune response to occur. For example, medicine speaks of graft-versus-host disease when the immune cells contained in the blood transfusion attack the cells of the recipient. Various organ systems, including The Liver , Skin , and Intestines , can suffer. Other potential complications include stunted growth in children, malignancies, infections and impaired gonad function. The required intake of immunosuppressants contributes significantly to the increased risk of infection.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.