Bone marrow transplantation

Bone marrow transplantation is used to treat most hematologic, oncological, and hereditary diseases. This is practically the only chance for recovery in chronic leukemia, lymphomas, in a number of tumors, neuroblastoma and severe combined immunodeficiency. Patients are transplanted with a set of hematopoietic stem cells, which in healthy people make up the bone marrow - a hematopoietic tissue located in the bones of the skeleton. The greatest number of bone marrow contains pelvic bones, sternum and spine.

The essence of the procedure for transplantation

Hematopoietic stem cells are the precursors of all blood cells and general immunity in the human body. Being transplanted to the patient even in small quantities, hematopoietic stem cells completely restore blood formation and improve immunity.

Transplantation is a complex procedure that allows you to achieve a cure for cancer without special consequences harmful to the body. In the course of treatment, high doses of chemotherapeutic agents, and sometimes also strong radioactive radiation, are often used. Since such aggressive treatment gradually destroys the bone marrow, it is in principle unworkable.

With this treatment, the body loses the vital primary ability to produce healthy blood cells. But if after the treatment "chemistry" in the body to transplant a healthy bone marrow, then it is possible to gradually replace the damaged bone marrow and restore its original ability to hematopoiesis. For example, bone marrow transplantation allows the treatment of cancer with the highest doses of drugs, when lower doses are already impotent.

Types and objectives of transplantation

There are only two types of transplantation. Apply allogeneic transplantation using the bone marrow of a healthy person and autologous, which involves the use of bone marrow or individual stem cells of the patient. Autologous transplantation can not be such in the literal sense of the word, it is more correct to call it a supporting transplantation of stem cells or bone marrow. In case of allogeneic transplantation, a mandatory condition is the compatibility of the donor with the patient with HLA antigens.

The purpose of bone marrow removal is to obtain the stem cells that are contained therein, which are developed in the process of development into various components of the blood. Before the beginning of any most intensive treatment, the bone marrow is removed from the donor's femoral bones or the patient itself, after which it is frozen and stored until use. This physicians call extraction. After the end of aggressive chemotherapy in combination with radiation therapy or without it, a healthy bone marrow is injected back into the body via a dropper. The procedure resembles a blood transfusion. The bone marrow circulates throughout the body with blood flow and settles in the cavities of the affected bones. There begins its growth and gradually the process of hematosis resumes.

Life after transplantation

If everything goes well, the brain will perfectly get accustomed, and the patient will quickly recover. But there are two threats to recovery. The first is the possibility of rejecting the transplant by the body. To prevent this from happening, the body's defenses are suppressed by powerful medications. The second threat is that for the whole three postoperative months the patient's body is completely devoid of the immune system. The most insignificant infection can become fatal for a person. To avoid infection, the patient is placed in a special room with additional protective measures. Man is temporarily isolated from the outside world.

After leaving the hospital ward, the patient is monitored. It will be necessary to visit the doctor regularly and undergo a survey. It takes about a year to completely restore the immune system after transplantation. However, if the patient's state of health deteriorates sharply, there will be a need for repeated hospitalization.