Patients with conditions such as Leukemia (characterized by excessive defective blood cell production) and Aplastic Anemia (resulting in a low count of blood cells) experience disruptions in the production of healthy, functional stem and blood cells. This disturbance not only affects the blood but also interferes with other tissues, leading to chronic diseases in various organs.
To address these conditions, aggressive treatments like chemotherapy and radiation are often necessary. These therapies aim to eliminate abnormal stem cells and defective blood cells. However, they also harm normal cells in the bone marrow, necessitating the replacement of healthy stem cells.
In cases of lymphomas and other cancers, where aggressive chemotherapy can damage healthy bone marrow, a bone marrow transplant becomes crucial. This procedure allows physicians to administer intensive chemotherapy or radiation by subsequently replacing the diseased or damaged bone marrow.
A bone marrow transplant serves several purposes:
1. Replacing diseased, non-functioning bone marrow with healthy functioning bone marrow (for conditions like leukemia, aplastic anemia, and sickle cell anemia).
2. Restoring the bone marrow’s normal function after administering high doses of chemotherapy or radiation to treat malignancies, commonly referred to as ‘rescue’ (for diseases such as lymphoma and neuroblastoma).
3. Providing genetically healthy functioning bone marrow to prevent further damage from genetic disease processes.
By allowing chemotherapy to target and destroy damaged or dysfunctional cells, bone marrow transplants play a critical role in curing cancers and solid tumors.