What is BMT(Bone Marrow Transplantation)?

Bone Marrow Transplant, also known as Stem Cell Transplant, is a procedure in which diseased bone marrow is replaced by healthy blood forming stem cells.

Bone marrow transplant has been successfully used to treat many diseases, specifically blood cancers like leukemias, lymphomas.

What is Bone Marrow?

Bone Marrow is a soft, spongy tissue found inside bones, where the body's blood cells develop & are stored. Bone marrow creates RBC, WBC & platelets.

Bone marrow also contains cells that create other blood cells are known as stem cells. Stem cells differ from other blood cells in two ways:

• It's ability to reproduce another cell identical to itself
• Its ability to generate subsets of more mature cells

Bone Marrow transplant involves used stem cells to replace damaged bone marrow.

Why Bone Marrow Transplant?

• To replace damaged & non-functioning bone marrow with healthy functioning cells in diseases like leukaemia, aplastic anaemic & sick cell anemia
• To regenerate a new immune system that can fight leukaemia or other cancers that are not killed by radiation or chemotherapy
• To replace bone marrow & restore its normal function after high doses of radiation or chemotherapy are administered to treat a malignancy.
• To replace bone marrow with healthy bone marrow to prevent further damage resulting from a genetic disease process.

What are the Types of BMT?

Bone marrow transplant is classified based on who the donor is. The two types of BMT are:

• Autologous bone marrow transplant: In this type of BMT, the stem cells are collected from the patient either by bone marrow harvest or aphaeresis, frozen and then administered back to the patient after intensive treatment.
• Allogenic bone marrow transplant: In allogenic BMT, stem cells are taken from a donor who shares the same genetic type as the patient. In most cases, it would be a sibling or a parent. But it can also be done by an unrelated donor.

What are the diseases that can be treated with BMT?

Diseases that most commonly benefit from Bone Marrow Transplant are:

• Chronic & Acute Leukemias
• Severe aplastic anemia
• Lymphomas
• Multiple myeloma
• Neuroblastoma
• Immune deficiency disorder
• Plasma cell disorders

Are there any potential risks of BMT?

Risks of BMT depends on many factors such as:

• Organ Damage
• Infections
• Cataracts
• Infertility
• New Cancers

Dr. G Vamshi Krishna Reddy is an experienced & highly skilled medical oncologist who treats patients with utmost care & compassion. He has successfully treated patients with different types of cancers through a personalised treatment approach. Dr GVK Reddy is the best doctor for Bone Marrow Transplants in Hyderabad.