Bone marrow autotransplantation

Bone marrow auto-transplantation is widely used when the patient needs cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

Normally, the bone marrow auto-transplantation process consists of removing healthy cells from the patient's body before treatment and then injecting them again when treatments are finished, allowing the body to produce more healthy cells.

Bone marrow auto transplantation is mainly used in patients with lymphoma, multiple myeloma or leukemia, as higher doses of chemotherapy are needed to cure these types of diseases.

How marrow auto transplant works

To perform a bone marrow auto transplant, the oncologist takes a bone marrow sample from the patient's hip through an injection into the hip. The sample is then sent to a laboratory and, if it has no malignant cells, is stored for use after high doses of chemotherapy.

After chemotherapy or radiation therapy, healthy bone marrow cells are injected back into the patient's bloodstream to increase blood cell production, which is greatly reduced after cancer treatments.

How is the recovery from auto bone marrow transplantation

The total recovery of the bone marrow auto transplantation lasts between a few months and up to 2 years after the transplant, however, the patient only needs to be hospitalized up to 4 weeks after the transplant, as it is during this period that there is a greater risk of infections and hemorrhages.