Stem cell transplant also goes by the name of bone marrow transplant. The infusion or injection of healthy stem cells so as to repair the damage or the deceased stem cells. This transplant does become necessary if the bone marrow stops to work and does not go on to produce a healthy infusion of blood cells. This procedure does become if radiation or chemotherapy is put to use for the treatment of blood disorders in the form of blood cancer, multiple myeloma etc.
With the help of stem cell transplant, the body finds itself at a position to produce healthy dose of white blood cells. In addition it could be platelets or red blood cells that reduce the chances of fighting infection, bleeding or anaemia. The entire process of replenishing the health blood cells of the body goes by the name of stem cell transplant. It goes by the name of stem cell transplant or umbilical cord transplant that would depend upon the source of stem cells. You can take stem cells from your own body or from a different source as well. It could be from an identical twin at the same time.
The reasons on why it is being performed
For stem cells you use it to treat people whose stem cells become damaged by treatment or damaged because of a disorder. Sometimes it seems to be the only option to fight against blood disorders like blood cancer. This transplant can be beneficial for people who are suffering from benign or malignant tumours.
With the help of stem cell transplant you can cure the blood disorders in the form
- It goes on to kill cancer cells. When you are part of a stem cell procedure you are likely to be given radiation therapy or powerful dose of drugs in the form of chemotherapy and this will kill cancer cells.
Doctors are then going to provide you with healthy blood cells that have been collected from a donor. The new cells then move over to the bone marrow and in due course of time starts producing new blood cells. Coupled with the fact that the donor cells might have the ability to kill some cancer cells.
- You are able to recover from doses of radiation or chemotherapy in a fast manner- by the way of stem transplant when healthy cells are being infused into the body it does help you to recover fast from chemotherapy or radiation. The reason being that these cells are not exposed to any time of treatment.
The process of preparation
A series of physical tests and procedures are conducted to figure out the exact physical condition of a patient. In doing so it is found out whether you are physically prepared for the surgery or not. In addition the radiologist or surgeon would go on to incorporate a long thin tube at the back of your chest. This device is in place during the course of the treatment.
Once you are part of the pre transplant procedures, then starts off the process by the name of conditioning. During this stage you will be given chemotherapy or radiation that will eradicate the cancer cells and the immune system would be suppressed so that the body would not go on to reject the transplanted cells.
The conditioning process is dependent on a host of factors that includes your overall health, the type of transplant and your overall health as well. You can be given chemotherapy or radiation therapy and it could be any one of them as well.
There are some side effects of the conditioning and this includes nausea, hair loss, vomiting, new type of cancers, fatigue etc. You might stick to medication or a series of medicines in order to reduce side effects.
Mini stem cells transplant could prove out to be an effective choice as well. You can term it as a reduced form of conditioning that can be termed as an allogeneic transplant where a less conditioning regime option is provided. Here low doses of chemotherapy or radiation is provided which removes all the cancer cells and suppresses the immune system. By then you infuse the donor cells into the body. With the passage of time the donor cells are infused into your body. In the donor cells there are immune factors that fight the body against cancer cells. At the same time a less intensive conditioning regime would be not that attractive as the chemotherapy or radiation appears to be less intensive. This is not a transplant that you are going to recommend for all situations.
The doctor based on your medical condition would prescribe the most proper type of conditioning. This would be dependent upon the age, health and the overall condition of the patient.
Results
With stem cell transplant you can cure a lot of diseases and put them in remission mode. Though to a large extend it would depend upon your individual situation which means removing or control your blood disorder. This would extend your life and improve the quality of it. There are some people who get over the stem cell transplant with minimum side effects and complications. In case of other patients they do experience challenging situations as this could be short term or long term. The severity of the transplant could be different from one patient to another and it would be really difficult to predict before you opt for the transplant.
The situation does become difficult if you face up to a lot of complications during the process of transplant. But be aware that there are many patients who have faced a lot of issues in terms of transplants in the early days but have gone on to return back to normal life with an improved quality.
In recent times stem cell transplant has gone on to become extremely popular. It does make sense to opt for the best doctors in the business. They have a proven track record of the same.