Essay on Bone Marrow Transplants - 1155 Words

In the last 40 years, the emergence of bone marrow transplants as a therapeutic modality for fatal disease and as a curative option for individuals born with inherited disorders that carry limited life expectancy and poor quality of life (G). Over 4,500 hematopoietic stem cell [bone marrow] transplants performed on patients in the United States annually (H). Bone marrow transplants originally developed to allow the use of very high doses of cytotoxic drug treatments for malignancies, such as leukemia (B). Two types of possible donors: mismatched related donors [mmRD] and matched sibling donors [MSD] (E). Although bone marrow transplants seem promising, there can be drawbacks to this procedure. Graft-versus-host disease, where the body†¦show more content†¦Transplantation of bone marrow from healthy donors can cure patients with many diseases. Donor T-cells protect against recurrence of infection and disease but some of these T-cells recognize patientsà ­ tissues as foreign, causing graft-versus- host disease [GVHD]. Removing T-cells from donor grafts before transplantation reduces GVHD but increases infection and disease recurrence (F). To reduce GVHD, mmRD bone marrow underwent ex vivo T-cells depletion using Campath IG. Patients then follow up every 2 weeks for 6 months after discharge, monthly for an additional 6 months and then every 6 to 12 months post procedure (I). Overall survival calculated as the time from transplant to death; leukemia-free survival time from transplantation to leukemia recurrence or death, whichever occurred first. At 10 years after transplantation, overall survival rates: 49.1% after peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation [PBPCT] versus 56.5% after bone marrow transplants [BMT]. Significantly more patients alive at 3 years and transplanted with peripheral blood experience more severe chronic GVHD more often than patients who underwent bone marrow transplantation (J). Bone marrow transplantations potentially coul d cure many malignancy diseases but the start all depends on the donor possibilities. One possibility experimented in SwitzerlandShow MoreRelatedBecoming A Bone Marrow Transplant864 Words   |  4 Pageshis tears. The thought of one more spinal tap was just too much. After months of chemotherapy and radiation, leukemia had snatched away the glow of life from my baby brother’s eyes. I felt helpless. A simple antibiotic, a successful bone marrow transplant, it was science and its unrelenting nature to help solve problems that soothed my ten-year-old heart. It was then that I began to fall in love with medicine. Early in my school years, I began doing research on natural, low-cost solutions toRead MoreBenefits Of A Bone Marrow Transplant1338 Words   |  6 PagesWhen I think of birth, I have realized that my thoughts have been shaped around personal experiences. To me, birth comes in many forms, more than just the traditional child birthing. When you have a bone marrow transplant, you are â€Å"rebirthed†. I have my normal birthday, and my new birthday. My new birthday gave me a second chance at life and to me that is exactly what birth is -a chance at life. I can relate this to Portier’s view, although he uses it in the sense of a newborn. He says, â€Å"Babies representRead MoreHematopoietic Stem Cells to Cure Leukemia980 Words   |  4 Pagesto be actually be effective. (learn.genetics.edu) Hematopoietic Stem Cells have been used to treat many diseases since 1968, infusing healthy stem cells into the patient, performing therefore a stem cell transplant. 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Genetics alsoRead MoreMy sisters keeper ethical issues761 Words   |  4 Pagesis a 16 year old who was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia at 2 years old. She has an older brother, Jesse, but he is not a genetic match for a bone marrow transplant and has never been able to f orgive himself for that. Doctors suggested that her parents scientifically engineer another child â€Å" a Savior Sibling† to ensure a bone marrow match for Kate. Kate’s parents, Sara and Brian, eagerly pursued having another child through In vitro fertilization and Pre-implantation Genetic DiagnosisRead MoreAcute Lymphocytic Leukemia - Essay1716 Words   |  7 Pagesin today’s children. The four major forms of childhood leukemia include Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, and Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) is cancer of the bone and bone marrow (â€Å"Acute Myelogenous Leukemia† 1). Compared to AML where 10% of AML patients are children, Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia accounts for 80% of all childhood acute leukemia’s. ALL occurs in children ages three through seven (Zieve 1). Acute LymphocyticRead MoreDifferent Types Of Cell Research1597 Words   |  7 Pagesmice. Th is discovery uncovered the importance of the hematopoietic system and its functions, such as the bone marrow’s role in the regeneration of blood and immune cells. Early research of HSCs primarily focused on characterizing HSCs from other cells. Identifying and differentiating HSCs from other cells proved to be easier said than done, since 1 in every 10,000 to 15,000 cells in the bone marrow were thought to be a stem cell. Early studies also helped identify two different types of HSCs, long-termRead MoreDifferent Types Of Cell Research1600 Words   |  7 Pagesmice. This discovery uncovered the importance of the hematopoietic system and its functions, such as the bone marrow’s role in the regeneration of blood and immune cells. Early research of HSCs primarily focused on characterizing HSCs from other cells. Identifying and differentiating HSCs from other cells proved to be easier said than done, since 1 in every 10,000 to 15,000 cells in the bone marrow were thought to be a stem cell. Early studies also helped identify two different types of HSCs, long-termRead MoreInformative Speech About Leukemia1279 Words   |  6 Pagesis the most common childhood cancer, although it is known to also occur in adults. ALL is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow that occurs when abnormal cells in a part of your body begin to grow out of control. Bone marrow is the soft tissue in the center of bones that helps form all blood cells. The abnormal lymphoblast’s grow quickly and replace normal cells in the bone marrow. ALL prevents healthy blood cells from being made. Life-threatening symptoms can occur as normal blood counts drop. TheRead MoreEssay about Leukemia And Stem Cells1172 Words   |  5 Pageswith it. In order to fully understand what is going on in the world of stem cell and leukemia research, one must first know what stem cells are and what leukemia is. Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells, and leukemia cells form in the bone marrow like other normal blood cells. The exact causes of leukemia are unknown, but there are some known risk factors that may lead to leukemia. These include being exposed to radiation, smoking, undergoing chemotherapy, having a genetic disorder, having