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Pros And Cons Of BMT – Bone Marrow Transplant

Pros And Cons Of BMT – Bone Marrow Transplant
Pros And Cons Of BMT – Bone Marrow Transplant

Bone marrow is that part of the spongy material that resides in the insides of our bones. Bone marrow has a number of functions and it helps the body to make and store blood cells. These blood cells are required for the normal functioning of the body. The bone marrow makes white blood cells, red blood cells and also platelets amongst other things. Due to certain reasons the bone marrow is not in a position to make healthy blood cells in the right quantities. This, when continued for a period of time, impacts our immune system and could lead to diseases, infections and even death. The inability of the bone marrow match registry to make healthy cells is referred to as blood cancer. Like all cancer treatments, radiation and other forms of conventional therapies are used to kill the cells that are not properly formed. However, it may not work well in all the cases and therefore the only next best option is to go in for a bone marrow transplant procedure.

What Is Bone Marrow Transplant

This is a process whereby healthy bone marrows are transplanted and this is done to replace the damaged bone marrow cells. This works in curing certain diseases and some forms of blood cancer bone marrow transplant. However, the recovery period is long and there also is the risk of infection and other serious side effects. But for many patients, it could be the only way forward. Hence it would be interesting to know more about the pros and cons associated with bone marrow transplant so the right decision can be taken. We, need to however bear in mind that only the doctors would be in a position to decide whether bone marrow transplantation is needed and whether it will be useful or not.

Advantages

It is often considered to be the only and last option for patients whose blood cancer has reached an advanced stage. In some cases, such transplantation can help to completely cure the patients. However, in most cases, it could help in managing the fallouts of blood cancer and might help the patient to live for a longer period of time with lesser complications. However, the patients might be required to go through other forms of treatment and BMT could be used as a complementary effort.

The process is quite simple and does not take too much time. It is done through IV with the help of a catheter. The bone marrow is injected into the spinal cord area. If it is accepted by the body (the new bone marrow), it starts making healthy cells and this increases the chances of recovery for the patient or improves the prognosis quite a bit.

The Downsides

However, there are some downsides as far as this form of treatment is concerned. First and foremost, in many cases, the body rejects the transplant and if it happens it could be quite a difficult situation to manage. The patient could suffer from serious and life-threatening infections and other side effects. There also will be pain and the process of recovery will be quite slow. Even if the transplant is accepted, the recovery process will be also slow and it will be some time before the patients start to see the difference.

Contact US:

Gift of Life Marrow Registry
Address: 800 Yamato Rd suite 101
Boca Raton,
FL
Phone: (800) 962-7769