Leukemia Blood Cancer

What is done after the diagnosis of Leukemia ’’Blood Cancer’’

The first treatment is hospitalization and the average length of stay is 1 month.
Since leukemia cells invade the body, normal cells are not found in the body, healthy cells are supported by external reinforcement. While the patient is given healthy cells, the process is very difficult since it is necessary to apply chemotherapy and the chemotherapy that is given destroys good cells as well as bad cells.
At the end of one month, a small piece of bone marrow is taken from the patient to see if the bad cells have disappeared.
It takes about 15 days for a healthy cell to become healthy again. Since this period is very critical, the patient is taken under protection like a baby. Antibiotic treatment can be started and masks can be used to prevent the risk of infection. Despite precautions, infection can occur. As a result of infection; The risk of death can reach 80-90%.

How is Bone Marrow Transplantation Performed?

In patients under 45 years of age, bone marrow transplantation is preferred if there is no response to salvage therapy. Stem cells in the bone marrow are the main cells that provide the formation of cells in our blood. These cells are collected with a device and kept in the Apheresis unit until the day of the stem cell transplantation and transferred to the patient on the day of transplantation.

From who is Bone Marrow obtained?

Bone marrow, tissue groups can be obtained from suitable siblings or rarely from other family members, as well as from suitable unrelated donors through tissue banks. Another option is to freeze and kept the patient's own bone marrow and give it when necessary. On the other hand, umbilical cord blood is in the form of using the blood collected from the mother-stem cells-rich placenta of the newborn sibling.

What is done after Bone Marrow Transplantation?

The transplant day is determined and the cells collected from the donor are given to the patient.
From the day of bone marrow transplant to the patient; It is expected until the thirtieth day. By the 30th day, it is checked how much of the cells taken have settled in the bone marrow.
If this rate is over ninety-five percent, the patient is discharged.
In this type of transplant, patients; They are followed for a long time due to their susceptibility to infections due to the effects of the medications used. Patients are called for control two days a week. In the next 5-year period, controls are carried out monthly.

What is the Bone Marrow Transplantation Success Rate?

Bone marrow transplants are successful at a rate of 70 percent. But there is always a risk of recurrence of the disease. Chemotherapy treatment applied during the disease can also trigger another cancer disease. This is the most feared situation.

The European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation

Medicana bone marrow transplant center works ethically and patient-oriented at a level that will serve not only to Turkey but to the whole world in the light of scientific data. Our hospitals where our bone marrow centers are located are members of the “The European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation” (EBMTR).