Bone Marrow Transplant
Bone Marrow Transplant |
| A bone marrow transplant (BMT) is a procedure carried out to replace defective bone marrow stem cells with healthy cells. Stem cells may fail either because of an underlying disease or due to the effects of chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, if given in high enough doses will completely destroy bone marrow cells. As a result patients receiving such treatment will die of anaemia, infection, or bleeding, if healthy new marrow is not transplanted. Thus BMT's not only cure diseases in which the marrow is defective, but also allow higher doses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy to be used, than would otherwise be possible. A BMT therefore offers hope of cure to patients with leukaemia and other cancers who do not respond to conventional doses of treatment. For more information visit the RCH website |