We might have heard about bone marrow transplant but we might lack the right knowledge and information about it because we may never have any reason to know about it. However, each year there are thousands of bone marrow transplants happening in your state and many thousands more in the country as a whole. In most of the cases, bone marrow transplant becomes absolutely essential and could be the difference between life and death. It would, therefore, be interesting to know more about it and have some basic understanding of leukemia bone marrow transplant. Before doing it, we should know some basic information about bone marrow. It is basically a spongy and small material inside the bones. This is the area where the body produces and also stores blood cells. When the bone marrow gets damages, it leads to reduced manufacture of blood cells and there are not enough cells left for taking care of your immune system. Bone marrow makes red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets amongst other cells required for normal body function and also for fighting off infections and keeping the immune system intact.

When Does A Person Require Bone Marrow Transplant?

When a person gets affected by certain types of cancer such as lymphoma, leukemia, or multiple myeloma the bone marrow becomes diseased and in many cases, it gets completely destroyed. Further, when a person is put through some high dose cancer treatments and chemotherapy, the radiation and drugs could also damage the bone marrow either partially or fully. In such cases, bone marrow transplant could help your body to produce the right kind of stem cells from where healthy white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets are produced. People suffering from aplastic anemia could suffer from a situation where the bone marrow is unable to make the right quantity of red blood cells. It also could be helpful in treating certain autoimmune diseases, where the healthy immune system of the body are attacked and destroyed.

How Is BMT (Bone Marrow Transplantation) Decided

The doctor is the right person who will decide whether a person requires BMT or not. The patient is run through a routine physical exam and several tests are also conducted. These tests include complete blood sample profiling and also they try and find out the condition of other vital organs such as the heart, lungs, kidney, liver and the brain. Based on the findings and the overall condition of the patient, a decision is taken whether a person is fit enough for bone marrow transplant or if he or she needs it.

If a transplant is a good option, a donor has to be found or the transplant can also be done from other parts of the body, if feasible and possible. Family members are often considered to be good for bone marrow donor match, but donors can also be found from the national registry.

Things To Bear In Mind

While bone marrow transplant decision has to be taken by the doctor, you must weigh the pros and cons associated with such transplants. There could be the risk of infection, rejection and other continuous problems, especially in the long term.

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