About Stem Cell & Bone Marrow Transplant The semisolid substance within our bones producing blood cells such as the white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets is known as the bone marrow. The blood components are manufactured from hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Malfunctioning in the bone marrow could lead to depleted production or complete lack of essential blood cells in the body. This can result in diseases such as acute anemia, leukemia and other blood-related disorders. For a bone marrow transplant (BMT), the actual transplant is not of the bone marrow but it is actually the hematopoietic stem cells which are transplanted. This helps replace damaged or diseased cells in the marrow with the cells of a healthy normal person to ensure that the production of the relevant blood cell resumes and the unhealthy individual can be back to normal life. Such replacement of the hematopoietic stem cells is called an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Likewise a bone marrow transplant, also called a stem cell transplant, is a procedure in which diseased or damaged bone marrow cells are replaced with healthy ones. Such a procedure is performed in extreme cases wherein a patient has had high-doses of chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Conditions successfully treated with the help of a bone marrow transplant include various types of blood related cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and solid tumors, as well as aplastic anemia. The various uses of a bone marrow transplant can be enumerated as below:
To replace diseased, nonfunctioning bone marrow with healthy functioning bone marrow for conditions such as leukemia, aplastic anemia, and sickle cell anemia. To help regenerate a new immune system that will fight existing or residual leukemia or other cancers not killed by the chemotherapy or radiation used in the transplant. To replace the bone marrow and restore its normal function after high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation are given to treat a malignancy. This process is often called rescue for diseases, such as lymphoma and neuroblastoma. To replace bone marrow with genetically healthy functioning bone marrow to prevent further damage from a genetic disease process such as Hurler's syndrome and adrenoleukodystrophy.