A bone marrow transplant, also known as a stem cell transplant, is a procedure that replaces damaged or diseased bone marrow with healthy bone marrow cells. This are a powerful tool in cancer treatment for a few key reasons:
High-Dose Chemotherapy: Many cancers, particularly blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, can be effectively treated with high doses of chemotherapy. However, these high doses can also severely damage the bone marrow, the body’s factory for producing blood cells. A bone marrow transplant can replenish those blood cells.
Immune System Boost: In some cases, the transplanted bone marrow cells can actually attack and kill any remaining cancer cells, providing an extra layer of defense. This is called the “graft-versus-tumor effect.”
Targeting Specific Cancers: Bone marrow transplants can be used in conjunction with other therapies to target specific types of cancer cells.
Important points:
High doses of chemotherapy or radiation are used to eliminate cancer cells.
This treatment unfortunately destroys healthy bone marrow cells.
Healthy stem cells are transplanted to replace the damaged bone marrow.
The transplanted stem cells begin producing new, healthy blood cells.
It can also help regenerate a new immune system to fight cancer cells.
Before a bone marrow transplant, patients undergo conditioning treatment, which can include chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. This treatment helps make room for the transplanted stem cells, suppresses the patient’s immune system, and destroys any remaining cancer cells.
Bone marrow transplants are complex procedures with potential risks and side effects. They are not a suitable treatment for all cancers and should only be considered under the guidance of a specialized medical team.
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