Stem Cell Transplants Purpose – Important to Know
What is the purpose of having Stem Cell Transplants?
Stem cells are cells that are immature but can mature into blood cells. The process of infusing healthy stem cells into the body system is done by cell transplants. It becomes very much necessary when the bone marrow does not work and fails to produce sufficient stem cells required by the body. The primary purpose of the transplant is to make the body capable of producing enough white blood cells, and red blood corpuscles and prevent cases like anemia, infections, bleeding, etc.
A stem cell transplant can also be termed a bone marrow transplant or umbilical cord blood transplant about the origin of the stem cells. This procedure can make use of cells from your body, from your identical twin as well as those of the donors. It helps in replenishing the body’s capacity to produce blood-forming cells.
How does a cell transplant help in cancer treatment?
A patient undergoing cancer treatment has to face chemotherapy. The procedures used for stem transplants help in restoring stem cells that have been destroyed due to the application of chemotherapy or radiation therapy. The transplants help the patients to cope with the effect that these therapies have on the cells that divide rapidly.
Bone marrow is often damaged or destroyed due to high-dose treatments. This makes a patient unable to produce enough blood cells for the carriage of oxygen to the different parts of the body, prevent bleeding or even fight infection.
Leukemia and lymphoma can be treated using cell transplantation. It can b used to treat cancers like neuroblastoma, multiple myeloma, etc.
What role do umbilical cord transplants play?
Umbilical cord transplants find their use when adults suffering from leukemia or aplastic anemia are being treated. It is a process where umbilical cord blood is extracted, stored, and transplanted. Bone marrow donors are rarely found because the process is excruciating and takes a long time to heal.
Umbilical cord blood consists of hemopoietic stem cells which can reconstitute and repopulate the bone marrow.
What is the importance of cord blood transplantation?
Cord blood transplantation can be considered an alternative to bone marrow transplants. Umbilical cord blood, bone marrow, and peripheral blood are the sources that are used in transplants to serve the purpose of blood-forming cells.
Cord blood units can be readily used and stored. Donors are easily available too. The patient’s condition can be improved drastically with this kind of transplant. A person with a rarely-found tissue type cannot find a donor easily. You may then consider a cord blood unit.
Research is being done to understand the differences and similarities between transplants and other forms of transplants.
