Bone marrow transplantation is used in the treatment of certain types of cancer and non-cancerous conditions. Bone marrow is the tissue inside bones that makes red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Each of these plays a vital role in keeping the body healthy and free of disease. If you lack red cells, which carry oxygen, you get very fatigued. Without white cells, your body can't protect itself from infections. You need platelets for the clotting of blood. Bone Marrow Transplantation is used to:
* enhance or restore a person's immune response or supply of blood cells, or
* to replace diseased or destroyed bone marrow with normal functioning bone marrow.

The technique involves removing the bone marrow from a compatible donor, and then giving it to the patient. Bone marrow for a transplant can come from your own body, from a tissue-matched family member, or a tissue-matched unrelated donor. The procedure involves "harvesting" the marrow from the donor's hip bone. This is done using a special syringe and needle in the operating room under general anesthesia. If your own marrow is used, it is treated to be sure there are no diseased cells and then frozen for future use. If the marrow comes from another donor, it is immediately brought to you in a plastic bag and transfused into your vein just like a blood transfusion. The marrow finds it way to the inside of major bones and begins to produce new and normal blood cells in about two weeks. During this time, you're at risk from infection, bleeding, and reactions to the new marrow if it's not your own.

To learn more about bone marrow transplantation, call the Leukemia Society at (800) 955-4LSA, the American Cancer Society at (800) ACS-2345, or the National Cancer Institute at (800) 4-CANCER.

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