HJAR May/Jun 2022

46 MAY / JUN 2022 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S HEALTH COLUMN CHILDREN’S HEALTH BONE MARROW is a liquid contained within the bones and responsible for the constant production of blood. There are primarily three types of blood cells; these include red cells (carrying oxygen), plate- lets (stop bleeding), and white cells (im- mune system). The immune system is not only responsible for protecting the human body against viruses and bacteria but also for functions like bone remodeling and liv- er protein storage. A successful BMT cor- rects inherited (inborn error) or acquired (such as cancer) diseases in any of the cells produced by the bone marrow. What are the different types of BMT? BMTs are mainly divided by the source of blood-producing cells. If bone marrow is the recipient’s own, it is called autolo- gous BMT. If the bone marrow is from a donor, it is called allogeneic BMT. BMT is also categorized by the source of cells; if cells are from umbilical cord blood or col- lected from a patient’s peripheral blood, they are called umbilical cord blood trans- plant or peripheral blood stem cell trans- plant, respectively. What are the uses of autologous BMT? Autologous BMT is typically for pa- tients who require very high doses of chemotherapy or radiation to treat their cancer. One of the most dangerous side effects of high-dose chemotherapy is wiping out of bone marrow cells, making a patient high risk of dying from bleeding and infectious complications. A successful BMT will allow the patient to have blood cell recovery within two to three weeks compared to eight weeks or more without it. Autologous BMT has only been used to treat chemotherapy-responsive cancer. What is allogeneic BMT? Allogeneic BMT is usually performed to replace the immune system to help correct the inherited defect in blood cells (sickle cell disease) or allow a new im- mune system to prevent blood cancer from coming back. When a person has blood cancer that is less likely to be cured by chemotherapy alone, BMT introduces a new immune system that prevents can- cer from coming back. The most common reason for allogeneic BMT is blood can- cer. Typically, blood cancers are protected against destruction by the immune system because of their likeness to normal blood cells. After BMT, the new immune system BONE MARROW Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Transplantation describes a procedure where an organ is transplanted from a donor to a recipient for the purpose of replacing a defective organ. However, bone marrow transplant (BMT) refers to a more complicated procedure that does not involve a solid organ like a liver, kidney, or heart but a liquid organ.