A bone marrow transplant procedure is done to replace bone marrow that is damaged or destroyed by infection, disease, or chemotherapy. This process entails transplanting blood stem cells. The stem cells travel to the marrow where they create new blood cells and encourage new marrow growth.
What Is Bone Marrow and What Is Its Role?
Bone marrow itself is a spongy type of fatty tissue inside the bones. According to oncology doctors, bone marrow manufactures the following components of the blood:
- Red blood cells, which transport nutrients and oxygen through the body
- White blood cells, which are used to fight infection
- Platelets, which are used by the body to create clots
Hematopoietic Stem Cells
Bone marrow also contains hematopoietic stem cells, otherwise known as HSCs. While most cells are differentiated and can only make replicas of themselves, these cells are unspecialized. This means that they can multiply through cell division. Therefore, they can either remain as stem cells or differentiate and mature into various types of blood cells.
So, when oncology doctors talk about bone marrow transplants, they are referring to a process by which the blood stem cells are transplanted to replace damaged cells. This enables the body to make enough red blood cells, platelets, or white blood cells to prevent bleeding disorders, fight infections, and treat anemia.
Where Transplants Are Performed
Patients who receive bone marrow transplants often do so because they have a cancer that affects their marrow, such as lymphoma, multiple myeloma, or leukemia. You can learn more about this treatment option as well as other research and clinical trials that are currently being conducted for cancer patients.
Treatment innovations make it possible for transplant oncology doctors to re-infuse healthy bone marrow into patients after diseased bone marrow or a solid tumor is treated with high doses of radiation or chemotherapy. This process, then, enables doctors to re-establish the immune system after cancer treatments.
