How Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplants are Used to Treat Childhood Cancer
A simple explanation of this procedure and how you can help.
Transplants using bone marrow and stem cell from blood are one of the approaches used to treat children with some of the most severe forms of cancer. Leukemia and lymphoma, brain tumors and neuroblastoma, are the most common types of childhood cancers that can be treated by this process, which was first successfully performed on in 1968 at the University of Minnesota Medical Center.
Chemotherapy and radiation generally affect cells that divide rapidly, such as cancer cells. However, since bone marrow cells also divide frequently, high-dose treatments can severely damage or destroy the patient's bone marrow, rendering them unable to make blood cells needed to carry oxygen, defend against infection, and prevent bleeding. By replacing stem cells that were destroyed by treatment with those from a healthy, compatible donor, the bone marrow's ability to produce the blood cells can be restored after the cancer has been eliminated.
There are three sources of stem cells that can be used in a transplant:
- A bone marrow donation
- Stem cells filtered from a donor's blood
- Blood collected from the umbilical cord after a healthy baby is born.
Although donors with the highest compatibility match rates are usually immediate family members, such as a brother or sister, many patients who could benefit from a bone marrow or stem cell transplant do not have a potential sibling donor. At any point in time, approximately 3,000 patients are seeking a donor for a bone marrow or stem cell transplant.
How You Can Help:
- You can volunteer to become a bone marrow or blood stem cell donor by contacting the National Marrow Donor Program at www.marrow.org or by calling 1-800-627-7692 (1-800-MARROW-2). If you're between the ages of 18 and 60 and in good health, you probably can qualify.
- Donate blood at your local blood bank. Virtually all bone marrow or stem cell transplant patients need blood products during their treatment.
- Tell your friends and family how they can become a blood or bone marrow donor
