Bone Marrow Transplant

Bone marrow is where STEM CELLS are produced in the body. Leukemia patients really need stem cells from healthy donors. And they need the stem cells to engraft, that is, take root and start producing healthy blood cells. There are three ways in which stem cells are taken from the donor and transplanted into the recipient.

• PBSCT - Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant: The donor is given some shots to increase the production of peripheral stem cells in their blood, then blood is drawn through an IV from one arm, passed into a machine where the stem cells are extracted, and passed back into the donor's blood stream via an IV in the other arm.
• The traditional bone marrow transplant: Bone marrow is extracted under local anesthetic from the cavities in the hipbones. Using a needle and syringe, punctures are made through the skin over each hip, and the marrow is extracted from the pelvic bone cavity. The procedures takes up to two hours.
• Cord blood transplant: Blood from the umbilical cord of newborns which would have otherwise gone waste is collected and saved. Cord blood is rich in stem cells but low in volume. These transplants are mostly carried out in children whose volume needs are lower.