понедельник, 23 апреля 2012 г.

What is bone marrow transplantation and stem cells

Medical Information

Transplantation of bone marrow and stem cells is a procedure that allows to treat cancer are very high doses of chemotherapeutic agents primarily, and sometimes radiation. Because this treatment irreversibly destroys the bone marrow, it is, in principle, it is not feasible, because the body loses its ability to produce vital blood cells. However, if after treatment the body to re-introduce a healthy bone marrow (a substance that produce blood) or stem cells (progenitor cells in the bone marrow, which develops, turn into blood cells), it becomes possible replacement of the bone marrow and restore its ability to hematopoiesis . That is why bone marrow and stem cell therapy allow for high-dose chemotherapy to cure a specific cancer when lower doses are powerless.

The classic goal bone marrow transplantation is to obtain it contains precursor cells (stem cells) that are in development and then converted into various blood components. Before starting any intensive treatment the bone marrow is removed from the patient's hip or a donor, then frozen and stored until use. This is called extraction. Later, after completion of chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy or without bone marrow is injected back into the body by the drop method, like a blood transfusion. The brain is circulating through the body through the bloodstream and eventually accumulates in the cavities of bones, where it begins to rise and resume the process of hematopoiesis.

While the process of migration of transplanted bone marrow cavity of the tibia, and begins the normal production of healthy blood cells, patients are very susceptible to any infection, and has a pronounced tendency to bleeding. Many antibiotics, blood transfusions and plasma appointed at this time to help prevent and fight infections. Transfusions of platelets help fight the bleeding. After allogeneic transplant patients are also immunomodulatory drugs to help prevent and control the response of "graft-versus-host disease."

The number of bone marrow transplant required depends on the patient's weight and the concentration of bone marrow cells taken at the matter. Usually the donor are taken from 950 to 2,000 milliliters of a mixture of bone marrow and blood. Although this number seems large, it really is only about 2% of human bone marrow and the body compensates for it in four weeks.

After bone marrow transplantation in typical cases, patients spend in the clinic from 4 to 8 weeks.

Bone marrow transplant is well developed, but still dangerous procedure. Individual reaction to it. As a result, pre-chemotherapy and radiotherapy developed severe immune suppression of hematopoiesis and that a substantial portion of patients may lead to different, sometimes severe infections (generally well-designed controlled by combinations of antibiotics), bleeding (requiring transfusions of blood products), nausea / vomiting, diarrhea, sometimes hepatic, renal, and other forms of intoxication, which, however, in most cases are reversible.

Комментариев нет:

Отправить комментарий