How to Explore Bone Marrow Transplants to Treat Cancer

Introduction

A bone marrow transplant is the process of replacing unhealthy bone marrow with healthy bone marrow. Since bone marrow is where new blood cells are made, it is very important to have healthy bone marrow to fight disease. Many diseases are treated with bone marrow transplants, including many forms of cancer, chronic myelogenous leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia, severe aplastic anemia, inherited immune system disorders and Hurler's syndrome.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Steps

1

Step One

Bone marrow transplants may be used to treat patients with certain types of cancer. Because cancer cells divide quickly, bone marrow needs to be healthy in order to defeat cancer.

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Step Two

Understand what bone marrow is. Bone marrow is made up of 3 parts: red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

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Step Three

Know that red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body to living tissues.

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Step Four

Realize that white blood cells are part of the immune system, which helps the body to fight cancer and other diseases.

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Step Five

Comprehend that platelets are what enable blood to clot when you have a nosebleed or an open wound. Bone marrow needs all 3 cells to be in full working order and to successfully ward off cancer.

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Step Six

Explore bone marrow donation to help someone in need of a bone marrow transplant. Transplantable bone marrow can come from a donor or from the patients themselves. Bone marrow is harvested from the hipbone of the donor, who is under general anesthesia in an operating room. The bone marrow is then examined and the T-cells are removed so that the body will not attack the marrow as foreign.

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Step Seven

Understand that a set procedure must be followed to properly treat cancer with a bone marrow transplant. Pre-conditioning must occur, which is the process of killing all of the diseased bone marrow to make way for the new marrow. Pre-conditioning also suppresses the immune system so that it won't kill the new healthy marrow when it arrives.

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Step Eight

Consider that pre-conditioning consists of either chemotherapy or radiation treatments or both. One or both of them is necessary in pre-conditioning, so that the cancerous marrow is adequately destroyed.

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Step Nine

Realize that actual bone marrow transplants are not surgery, but are more like blood transfusions. The bone marrow is transplanted through the central venous line into the patient. It can take from 1 to 2 hours for the transplant to be completed.

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Step Ten

Find out about clinical trials and bone marrow success rates at the American Cancer Society Web site (see Resources below).