More About Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant

Pediatric BMT Program provides transplantation of hematopoietic (or blood) stem cells which are derived from the bone marrow as a treatment option for a variety of acquired and congenital disorders of children and young adults, these include :

• Acute and chronic leukemia
• Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas
• Sarcomas
• Brain tumour’s
• Bone marrow failure syndromes
• Inherited immune deficiency syndrome
• Metabolic disorders

Stem cell or bone marrow transplant is a long process that involves these five main stages.

Consultation, Test & Examination: to assess the general health of the patient.

Harvesting: the process of obtaining the stem cells to be used in the transplant, either from the patient or a donor.

Conditioning: treatment to prepare the body for the transplant.

Transplanting the stem cells

Recovery: patient needs to stay in hospital for at least a few weeks until the transplant starts to take effect.

Transplanting the stem cells

• In the transplant process new healthy donated cells are given to the patient through their central line. 
• The donated cells arrive in blood bags.
• Patient will be in their hospital room and awake during the transplant process. The cells are infused (put into your body) through an intravenous (IV) line, mostly through the central line.  The procedure is like a blood transfusion.
• The transplant team will watch the patient closely while they are getting the new cells.  They will also explain what to expect, how long the infusion might take and how the patient might feel.
• The donated cells 'know' where they belong in the body. They move through the bloodstream to settle in the  bone marrow. This is where the cells will begin to grow and produce new red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.