What are bone marrow grafts for, and what is the process like? : procedures, safety, side effects, and benefits

For some people, bone marrow transplant still sounds foreign. Understandably, this transplant is not as popular as a kidney or heart transplant. But for blood cancer or leukemia patients, bone marrow graft is the life expectancy for them. Then what is the bone marrow transplant procedure like? Find out in this article.

What is the bone marrow transplant process like?

Bone marrow is a soft material found in bone that contains immature cells called hematopoietic stem cells. These immature cells will then develop into three types of blood cells - white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets.

A bone marrow transplant is a surgical procedure to replace bone marrow that is damaged or destroyed by disease with healthy spinal cord stem cells. The existence of the spinal cord is very important to support the process of delivering messages between the brain and spinal cord so that it can be intertwined properly.

The process of taking bone marrow samples from healthy donors is known as 'harvesting'. In this process, a needle is inserted through the donor's skin into the bone to extract the bone marrow. The whole process takes about an hour and donors are usually given anesthesia.

After intensive chemotherapy or radiation therapy, the patient is given a spinal cord infusion from the donor via an intravenous line. This procedure is followed by an 'engraftment' process, in which new stem cells find their way to the spinal cord and re-produce blood cells.

Why is a spinal cord transplant done?

This transplant is performed to replace the damaged bone marrow and is no longer able to produce healthy blood cells. Transplants are also commonly performed to replace blood cells that are damaged or destroyed as a result of intensive cancer treatment. Bone marrow transplants are commonly used to treat the following conditions:

Aplastic anemia (spinal cord failure)
Leukemia (blood cancer)
Lymphoma (cancer affecting the white blood cells)
Myeloma (cancer that affects cells called plasma cells)

Certain blood conditions, immune system disorders and metabolic disorders such as sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, SCID disease (severe combined immunodeficiency) or diseases that make people with this disease have no immune system, and hurler syndrome is a condition that urgently needs a marrow transplant. bone.

This transplant will usually be performed if other treatments have not helped. The potential benefits of this transplant outweigh the risks that would be experienced due to the aforementioned disease conditions.

Then, are there any side effects of the transplant on the recipient?

A spinal cord transplant is, after all, a complicated procedure that is not without risks. As reported by the National Health Service, it is important that you are aware of the risks. Possible problems that can occur during or after the transplant process include the following:

Graft versus host disease (GvHD). It is common in allogeneic transplants where the patient receives stem cells from a family member.
Reduced blood cells. This can lead to anemia, excessive bleeding or bruising, and an increased risk of infection.
Chemotherapy side effects. Usually sick, fatigue, hair loss, and infertility or difficulty having children.

What about the side effects of the transplant on the donor?

Only a small amount of bone marrow is taken from a donor so it doesn't really cause much harm. The area around the site where the bone marrow was removed may feel stiff for several days.

The donated bone marrow will be replaced by the body within a few days. However, the recovery time will vary from individual to person. Some people can return to their daily routine within a week, others it may take 3-4 weeks before things return to normal.

Although there are no serious side effects for the donor, complications associated with the use of anesthesia may also need attention.