Bone Marrow Transplantation In India

India offers best medical treatment of cancers and has gained a high spot in medical tourism with patients flowing in from all parts of world USA, UK, Afghanistan, Qatar, Bangladesh, Europe, Australia for availing best cancer treatment in India. One of the best treatments available in India is bone marrow transplantation. Bone marrow transplantation is a medical marvel and a boon for cancer patients facing life threatening conditions.

WHAT IS BONE MARROW?

Bone marrow is a semi-solid tissue of bone found within the spongy portion of the bone. Bone marrow is made up of hematopoietic stem cells capable of forming new blood cells. Bone marrow is the primary site for production of blood and white blood cells (WBCs) in the body. It contains stem cells which are immature and undifferentiated cells and give rise to all different types of blood cells. It is directly involved in maintaining amount of blood cells in body and also maintains the immune system of the body by producing white blood cells.

WHY BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION?

Imagine your bone marrow not functioning properly. This means it is not producing the required number and types of blood cells required by the body. It could lead to severe anemia (deficiency of RBCs) or severe immunodeficiency (due to deficiency of WBCs) in the person. A bone marrow transplantation is performed to replace a bone marrow that is either not working properly or is destroyed due to chemotherapy and radiation.

A dysfunctional or improperly functioning bone marrow could be due to either genetic diseases or cancers. Patients suffering from genetic diseases of such as Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), Lysosomal storage disorders, β-Thalassemia major (Cooley’s anemia), aplastic anemia, sickle cell diseases etc. have a faulty bone marrow that is unable to produce the blood cells in required numbers or the blood cells produced by it are not healthy and viable. Such patients suffer from severe anemia and immunodeficiency demanding repeated blood transfusion for their survival. Bone marrow transplantation provides such patients with a onetime best treatment option to get rid of them.

Patients undergoing treatment for cancers of blood, lymphomas, leukemia or bone marrow cancer suffer from bone marrow damage due to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The drugs and radiations used in chemotherapy and radiation therapy respectively kill the cancerous cells and many times also the healthy cells. This leads to severe anemia and immunodeficiency in the patient and requires repeated blood transfusions throughout the life to prolong the life of patient. Bone marrow transplantation is a permanent solution to this.

In bone marrow cancers, the cells of bone marrow become abnormal and give rise to cancerous cells. Bone marrow transplantation offers stable and effective treatment to this by replacing all the abnormal cells of the bone marrow with the normal ones.

HOW BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION IS DONE?

Bone marrow transplantation is an advanced treatment procedure for cancers and congenital immunodeficiency and anemia. Bone marrow transplantation is carried out in 3 steps- harvesting of stem cells, destruction of remaining immune cells of the patient and transfusion of stem cells in the patient.

1. HARVESTING OF STEM CELLS- The stem cells are harvested from the patient prior to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The stem cells are harvested from either blood by apheresis or directly from the bone marrow through a large needle that reaches the center of the bone. bone marrow transplantation is of two types based on the source of harvesting the stem cells-

 

 Autologous Bone Marrow Transplantation- In this the stem cells are harvested from the patient only by apheresis prior to chemotherapy and radiation and are stored in a freezer. After high dose chemotherapy these stem cells are transfused into the body to make normal blood cells. It is also called rescue transplant. Autologous bone marrow transplantation has higher success rate as there are no chances of graft rejection by the body as the cells of own body.

 

Allogenic Bone Marrow Transplant- The stem cells are harvested from a suitable donor. A suitable donor is screened through genetic screening and testing. Mostly the donors taken are close relatives of the patient but in some cases unrelated donors are also taken. The stem cells are harvested from the hip bones of the donors through a large needle.

 

2. DESTRUCTION OF IMMUNE CELLS- It is given prior to the bone marrow transplantation. Immune cells recognize foreign cells in the body and destroy them. Thus, they need to be removed from the body of the patient to rule out the possibility of graft rejection by the body. It is done by chemotherapy and radiation. Chemotherapy, radiation or both is given to kill the cancer cells and the immune cells. It also kills any healthy bone marrow that remains and allows new stem cells to grow in the bone marrow.

 

3. DELIVERY OF STEM CELLS INTO THE PATIENT- The healthy stem cells are delivered into the patient either by a tube called central venous catheter or by directly injecting the stem cells into the bone marrow through a large needle. The stem cells start growing in the bone marrow and stat performing their normal functions and produce blood.

 

 

DOCTORVALLEY ADVANTAGE

India today stands as a reputed destination of medical tourism and provider of best medical treatment at most affordable prices. Doctorvalley is the best medical tourism provider in India. Doctorvalley holds the distinction of having the largest network of best doctors in India and best hospitals in India for bone marrow transplantation in India. Doctorvalley connects you to the best doctors in India for bone marrow transplantation and provides with you a customized treatment plan as per your demands and budget. We assist you in planning your travel, arrange your stay in India and suggest the best treatment regime in best hospitals in India. We are the ones you can trust for best treatmen