Bone Marrow Transplantation Archives

BMT in India- Survival rate of patients after transplantation

In the past few years, there has been an immense increase in the number of hospitals offering BMT procedures. Although, awareness of a certain level is still required for this disease treatment. Bone Marrow Transplant in India might be available at comparative economic prices than other countries but it is still an expensive treatment. It requires detailed research to opt for the best hospital and doctors to treat such a lethal disease. In allogeneic transplants, the 5-year survival is nearly over 80 percent. Early diagnosis is helpful in early treatment with more survival chances and less fatal results than complicated late diagnosis cases. However, proper measures are taken by Indian hospitals as well as the qualified staff to minimize risks. Indian hospitals are equipped with specialized staff as well as modern equipment to deal with any sort of complicated BMT scenarios.

Why is survival important after Bone Marrow Transplant in India or in any country?

Bone Marrow Transplant in India is the best treatment procedure for several diseases. Hence, it becomes important that the procedure is done successfully no matter if it’s done in India or abroad. The success rate of the procedure is directly proportional to the survival of the patient. But the patients who undergo Bone Marrow Transplant are at risk of developing infections and sometimes even fatal complications which decreases the survival chances for a patient. The patients who undergo Bone Marrow Transplant in India has a good survival rate as all the standard procedures and norms are followed by professionals to minimize risks.

What can make the procedure of Bone Marrow Transplant in India terrifying for any foreigner?

There has been an immense increase in medical tourism in India. Besides, the deadliness of this disease the treatment in itself is also frightening. Foreign patients are new to India so their hassles increase for being dependent on unknown facts. However, these days things are more simplified for Bone Marrow Transplant in India and there are agencies, applications, and agents who counsel and guide the patients and their families about every aspect.

Further, getting a matching donor for Bone Marrow Transplant in India can become a hurdle and this can further be made simple by getting the matching donor along. Moreover, frequent visits to the country during and post Bone Marrow Transplant in India can appear a little tedious and tiring. For this, even the patient and the caretaker can stay in India until the hospital gives a clean chit for travel. The cost of BMT in India is comparatively so economic which comes out to be just a fraction of the amount offered by developed countries.

Related FAQs:

Q: What is a considerable average survival percentage after Bone Marrow Transplant in India?

A: It has been predicted from several kinds of research that the average survival rate of Bone Marrow Transplant is nearly 62 percent. Either allogenic or autologous the survival is dependent upon the success of the stem cell transplant and several risk factors like infection or rejection etc.

Q: What is the average cost of Bone Marrow Transplant in India?

A: Bone Marrow Transplant in India is very economical if compared with prices offered in other countries. Upon an average in any private hospital But procedure might cost between 16 to 35 lakhs. The pricing is based upon the hospital set up and the facilities they offer. This cost gets further reduced to 30-40 percent if its government hospital. There are few government hospitals offering BMT procedure between 7 to 8 lakh in Rajasthan. A related donor match among the family like parent or sibling also reduces the cost.

Q: Can Bone Marrow Transplant leave any forever physical impact on a person’s mind or body?

A: There are several types of research ongoing on this issue. It has been observed in rare cases, that BMT might alter a person’s behavior because of an impact over the brain ecology. Further, even an odd effect of Bone Marrow Transplant involves blood type alteration for life long post-procedure.

Bone Marrow Transplantation for Lymphoma

Lymphoma is a kind of cancer which develops because of the lymphocytes mainly. White blood cells which protect the body against several infections are a type of lymphocytes which get impaired in lymphoma. The lymphocyte gets accumulated in lymph nodes or spread to several body parts causing a traumatic condition of lymphoma. Its main origin is from the immune system itself since it involves lymphocytes and these multiply in uncontrolled numbers spreading to spleen bone marrow, thymus, lymph nodes etc.

Lymphoma is mainly divided into the following types:

• Hodgkin Lymphoma

• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Depending upon a specific type a particular bone marrow transplantation can be suggested by your physician for treatment. You must consider sharing all your previous medical history details with your physician before starting with any specific treatment in order to prevent any last moment complications.

Which different types of bone marrow transplantation can help in treating lymphomas?

Bone marrow transplantation helps in treating even the advanced staged lymphomas. But it requires a completed in detailed diagnostic analysis of the condition. Which can be done by an expert who is specialized in the diagnosis and treating cancers or lymphomas.

The three different transplant types are listed below based on its donor:

• Syngeneic Transplant: In this, the stem cells are donated by an identical twin of the patient.

• Autologous Transplant: In this, Stem cells are obtained from the patient itself. Healthy stem cells if present is used as a source of bone marrow transplantation in some cases.

• Allogeneic Transplant: In this, a related or unrelated donor with a close match or complete match of stem cells is the source for transplant.

Depending upon case your physician can suggest the best suitable bone marrow transplant for you after a complete analysis of the condition.

What role does bone marrow transplantation play in lymphomas?

Bone marrow transplantation replaces the unhealthy or damaged blood-forming cells with the healthy ones. The process is termed as bone marrow transplant or stem cell transplant. It involves either autologous transplant in which cells are obtained from the patient itself or allogeneic transplant in which source of healthy stem cells is a related or unrelated donor.

In the case of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma autologous transplant is the most common type. It involves high dose chemotherapy sessions followed by a transplant. Although, chemo is required in mostly both kinds of transplants initially to kill the cancerous cells or lymphomas in the body. After that new cells are infused which travels inside the body to reach bones and reboot the process of blood cell production again.

Everything is done in a hospital under proper observation and measures are taken to prevent and minimize post-procedure complications.

Related FAQs:

1) Q: What are the different signs and symptoms of lymphomas?

A: Its signs include enlarged or swollen lymph nodes, chest pain, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath or even cough, abdominal swelling, occasional chills, and weight loss etc.

2) Q: Is there any difference between stem-cell transplant and bone marrow transplantation?

A: The main difference lies in the fact from where the donor cells are obtained. Like stem-cell transplant or peripheral blood stem-cell transplant involves extraction of cells from the peripheral or circulating blood of the body whereas in bone marrow transplantation the source is bone marrow itself. The procedure of stem-cell transplant is comparatively easy and involves quicker regeneration of new cells in the body.

3) Q: Which type of bone marrow transplantation are common for Hodgkin Lymphomas (HL)?

A: Autologous, as well as allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, are the most preferred ones for Hodgkin Lymphomas. But your physician can only suggest the best suitable type of bone marrow transplantation as per your case.

Bone Marrow Transplantation for Sickle Cell

Bone marrow Transplantation is the best way to cure sickle cell disease or SCD. It is a little complex procedure than it appears to. Since it involves many things and the first one is finding the right hospital and a doctor. You must look for the best doctor who performs bone marrow Transplantation to discuss your or your relative’s case in depth. There are several concerns from finding a donor to combating financial expenses as well as post-transplant complications etc.

Sickle cell disease is caused by a hereditary defect with which you are born. It leads to abnormal sickle-shaped hemoglobin and hence makes it incapable to carry and deliver oxygen throughout the body, which is its main job. It even causes pain episodes due to blockage of blood flow in tiny veins. It can further use damage to brain, kidneys, heart, and other organs fo the body. So in order to prevent all organ damage bone marrow Transplantation becomes the only source or treatment.

Sickle cell disease is mainly a genetic disease which is passed from parents to their offsprings. These defective genes guide the blood-forming stem cells to produce defective sickle-shaped hemoglobin and hence there becomes no control of any drug over it and to stop it further a person must undergo bone marrow Transplantation.

How bone marrow Transplantation can help to treat sickle cell disease?

During bone marrow Transplantation, defective hematopoietic stem cells of the body are replaced with healthy ones. It is done by infusing healthy donor stem cells into the body. This helps in stopping more production of sickle-shaped cells causing SCD.

What are the complications during bone marrow Transplantation?

Like in any procedure this one also has its own attached risks and complications. But it is not mandatory you will experience them always. Also sometimes the increased episodes of pain in sickle cell disease make it essential to undergo bone marrow Transplantation even if there is certain risk involved.

Some of the complications include:

• Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in case of rejections against bone marrow Transplantation. This happens very rarely and drugs can help in preventing this. But if somehow medicines do not work than it might lead to multiple organ damage.

• Some damage of liver vessels can be caused during treatment.

• Infections are very common to appear because of low immunity and precautions and medicine both in combination can help to prevent it.

• The drugs used during bone marrow Transplantation sometimes negatively affect the fertility and infertility can be caused by them.

Normally nine out of 10 cases of bone marrow Transplantation turn out to be successful. However, in rare cases of transplant failures and rejections, another transplant might be required depending upon the condition of the patient.

Related FAQs:

1) Q: Is it okay to get pregnant if a woman has sickle cell disease?

A: Yes, women can get pregnant since there are no specific severe problems caused by SCD during pregnancy. However, precautions will be required. SCD poses more risks of urinary tract infections during pregnancy and chances of developing severe anemic condition also increases due to less iron consumption.

2) Q: Is nickel cell disease a fatal disease?

A: Yes, it can turn out to be fatal if not treated on time. Extreme pain episodes, stroke, infections, and acute chest syndrome are very common to appear. But at times vast-occlusive crisis can even cause death in SCD.

3) Q: Is there any way to test the fetus for sickle cell anemia during pregnancy?

A: Yes, there are two tests for gene inhabitation which can be done. It involves certain techniques like chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis, in order to know about the presence of SCD.

Bone Marrow Transplantations for Leukemia

Leukemia or acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is one of such blood cancers which grows quickly. During this condition, the stem cells of the body get malfunctioned and they further do not perform their routine tasks of forming new blood cells. These damaged cells further multiply in numbers inside the spongy tissue region of the bones also known as bone marrow. This makes the body incapable to fight against any sort of infections and blood disorders and even cause excessive bleeding.

Some of the chemotherapeutic drugs are also known to help with AML. But these drugs also cause some side effects and even its high doses further impact the bone marrow hence causing a need for bone marrow transplantations in AML disease. Hence, bone marrow transplantations are the last resort to treat this disease of leukemia for now. Although, several kinds of research are still going on to increase the success rate of bone marrow transplantations especially in complicated cases.

A combination treatment of chemotherapy and high dose radiations followed by bone marrow transplant leukemia is normally followed by many doctors to treat AML disease from its root. During BMT the patient receives healthy blood-forming cell infusion which further regenerates the impaired system and helps in achieving good immune system as well.

What is the process of bone marrow transplantations in order to treat leukemia?

Bone marrow transplantations or hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation involve a series of steps. Its main goal is to replace the defective stem cells with healthy blood-forming stem cells in the body. It is done by infusing healthy cells in the body. The main source of these healthy stem cells is either bone marrow or umbilical cord or circulating blood in the body.

These stem cells can be obtained from the patient in an autologous BMT procedure or from a matching donor in an allogeneic BMT procedure. Your physician can take a call on this after analyzing your health condition, diagnosis, and past medical history.

How effective do bone marrow transplantations are in case of leukemia treatment?

Bone marrow transplantations are highly effective in treating leukemia especially in patients with the first remission of acute myelogenous leukemia or AML. The efficacy of the treatment also has a direct link with the pre-transplant chemotherapy and high dose radiations. Although, some research revealed a few variations of relapses occurred post-transplant. Few of the dependent factors included twin-siblings or non-twin siblings, the presence of complications like graft-versus-host disease etc. The success rate and effectiveness of the bone marrow transplantations have its dependency mainly on the fact how matching the donor bone marrow is and then followed by the presence of any complications like of infection and rejection etc.

Related FAQs :

1) Q: Is there any particular type of leukemia which requires bone marrow transplantations?

A: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or any leukemia which requires chemotherapy might later require bone marrow transplantations. Because during high dose chemotherapy or radiation sessions involving the whole body causes defects in the bone marrow which requires a replacement with matching healthy one.

2) Q: Is there any specific recommended age group involving bone marrow transplant leukemia?

A: No, there is no such defined age group although health condition of the patient might play as a factor of eligibility. Even the elderly person or a child can undergo BMT. Allogenic transplant is a common procedure opted to treat AML condition.

3) Q: Can leukemia re-occur even after the procedure of bone marrow transplantations?

A: Yes, in some rare cases leukemia can re-occur with time. Then treatment options become limited due to factors like health condition, and age etc. your doctor will be the best person to discuss more on it as per your case.