1) Bone marrow transplantation is used for the treatment of various diseases. Pathologies such as acute leukemias, lymphomas, myelodysplastic syndromes, myelofibrosis, bone marrow aplasias or failures, and congenital immunodeficiencies (among others), can use bone marrow transplantation as treatment and sometimes this is even the only curative option.
2) There are two types of transplant. Bone marrow transplantation is a treatment that replaces diseased bone marrow cells with stem cells from the marrow of a healthy, matched donor (allogeneic transplant) or from a previously stored extraction from the same patient (autologous transplant). The decision of the type of transplant is related to the diagnosis, the response to the treatment received and the availability or not of a donor. In turn, allogeneic transplantation can be with a family or non-family donor, the latter generally coming from a search in the world bone marrow registry.
3) There are two ways to donate bone marrow. The first is for aphaeresis, a few days before the extraction, the donor applies some injections in the abdomen and on the day of the donation, a catheter is placed in a vein through which the blood comes out and enters a machine that separates the “stem” cells and the rest is returned to the donor. It is very similar to a blood donation. The second way is by direct extraction in the operating room, this is a little used method, but it is preferred in pediatric cases and in specific diseases. It is performed in the operating room under sedation, extracting the bone marrow through the pelvis. It is very safe for the donor.
4) The bone marrow donor registration process is very simple. When a person registers as a donor, a blood sample is taken for analysis and analyzed so that their genetic information will be incorporated into this global registry. If someone who needs marrow is compatible with that donor, they will call you to ask if you’re up for donating. In the case of a positive response, an operation is organized so that these cells, after being extracted, travel safely to the place in the world where the person who needs them is.
5) There is a global registry with 32 million people registered. This record is found in an international network called BMDW (Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide), which brings together records from more than 63 countries. Argentina has its own national registry that works in the INCUCAI (Unique National Central Coordinating Institute for Ablation and Implantation), which is affiliated with the BMDW and helps to increase each year the list of Argentines who join the global network of voluntary donors. .
On National Bone Marrow Transplant Day, ACLA joins the awareness activities about the importance of donation to save lives. For more information you can go to the website www.linfomasargentina.org
Medical Advisor of the Argentine Civil Association Lymphomas, Myelodysplasia and Myelofibrosis (ACLA) ( MN 147,448)
Source: Ambito
