JASPER THERAPEUTICS, INC. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (form 10-K) – Marketscreener.com
By daniellenierenberg
JASPER THERAPEUTICS, INC. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (form 10-K) Marketscreener.com
See the original post:
JASPER THERAPEUTICS, INC. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (form 10-K) - Marketscreener.com
For a range of unmet medical needs, India offers a fantastic opportunity to push cell and gene therapies: B .. – ETHealthWorld
By daniellenierenberg
For a range of unmet medical needs, India offers a fantastic opportunity to push cell and gene therapies: B .. ETHealthWorld
NGM BIOPHARMACEUTICALS INC Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. (form 10-K) – Marketscreener.com
By daniellenierenberg
NGM BIOPHARMACEUTICALS INC Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. (form 10-K) Marketscreener.com
Read the original post:
NGM BIOPHARMACEUTICALS INC Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. (form 10-K) - Marketscreener.com
Bone health: Tips to keep your bones healthy – Mayo Clinic
By daniellenierenberg
Bone health: Tips to keep your bones healthy
Protecting your bone health is easier than you think. Understand how diet, physical activity and other lifestyle factors can affect your bone mass.
Bones play many roles in the body providing structure, protecting organs, anchoring muscles and storing calcium. While it's important to build strong and healthy bones during childhood and adolescence, you can take steps during adulthood to protect bone health, too.
Your bones are continuously changing new bone is made and old bone is broken down. When you're young, your body makes new bone faster than it breaks down old bone, and your bone mass increases. Most people reach their peak bone mass around age 30. After that, bone remodeling continues, but you lose slightly more bone mass than you gain.
How likely you are to develop osteoporosis a condition that causes bones to become weak and brittle depends on how much bone mass you attain by the time you reach age 30 and how rapidly you lose it after that. The higher your peak bone mass, the more bone you have "in the bank" and the less likely you are to develop osteoporosis as you age.
A number of factors can affect bone health. For example:
You can take a few simple steps to prevent or slow bone loss. For example:
Include plenty of calcium in your diet. For adults ages 19 to 50 and men ages 51 to 70, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium a day. The recommendation increases to 1,200 mg a day for women age 51 and older and for men age 71 and older.
Good sources of calcium include dairy products, almonds, broccoli, kale, canned salmon with bones, sardines and soy products, such as tofu. If you find it difficult to get enough calcium from your diet, ask your doctor about supplements.
Pay attention to vitamin D. Your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium. For adults ages 19 to 70, the RDA of vitamin D is 600 international units (IUs) a day. The recommendation increases to 800 IUs a day for adults age 71 and older.
Good sources of vitamin D include oily fish, such as salmon, trout, whitefish and tuna. Additionally, mushrooms, eggs and fortified foods, such as milk and cereals, are good sources of vitamin D. Sunlight also contributes to the body's production of vitamin D. If you're worried about getting enough vitamin D, ask your doctor about supplements.
If you're concerned about your bone health or your risk factors for osteoporosis, including a recent bone fracture, consult your doctor. He or she might recommend a bone density test. The results will help your doctor gauge your bone density and determine your rate of bone loss. By evaluating this information and your risk factors, your doctor can assess whether you might be a candidate for medication to help slow bone loss.
Sign up for free, and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID-19, plus expertise on managing health.
To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.
Subscribe!
You'll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox.
Please, try again in a couple of minutes
Retry
.
Read more from the original source:
Bone health: Tips to keep your bones healthy - Mayo Clinic
Bone marrow drive held for military wife with cancer
By daniellenierenberg
Karina Hernandez, a nurse, mother and wife of a military officer, was diagnosed with cancer.
SAN ANTONIO A bone marrow registry was held Sunday for the wife of an Air Force Major stationed here in San Antonio.
Karina Hernandez, a nurse at BAMC, mother and wife of a military officer, was diagnosed with a rare bone marrow cancer called Myelofibrosis back in 2017 while pregnant.
She had severe pain in her side that wouldn't go away. Testing revealed that not only was she pregnant, she had an enlarged spleen due to Myelofibrosis.
We spoke with her awesome husband, Major Jesse Hernandez on Sunday about the challenges they have faced.
"Her cancer has progressed to the point where she know requires a bone marrow transplant in order to save her life," said Major Hernandez. "So today we're running a bone marrow registry drive with the goal to find a match for my wife and maybe for other patients who are facing the same need."
1/6
1 / 6
There are over 18,000 patients that could benefit from healthy bone marrow and it could save their life.
"Karina continues to work at BAMC caring for other people, all while battling cancer," said Major Hernandez. "She has been on chemo medications the whole time and this is my opportunity to try and help her and hopefully find someone who is a match to help her."
Her friends and family all say Karina cares more about getting people to sign up for the registry to help others.
She is concerned that - It's not just for herself, it's for how many other people can be helped by this, said Dora Lopez, one of the drives organizers.
Unfortunately, Hispanics do not commonly sign themselves up as donors, said her family. So it has been difficult to try and find a match for her.
"The chances of a Caucasian patient finding a matches is 79% Hispanics is a 48% chance and African Americans is only a 29% chance," said Be The Match Recruitment Coordinator Melinda Dixon.
A bone marrow registry in her honor was held Sunday at St. Anthony Mary Claret Catholic Church located at 6150 Roft Road from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
If you missed the drive, you can still sign up for the registry by following this link or by texting Cure4Karina to 61474.
You must be at least 18 years old to register. You will not be asked to donate right away, only to swab the inside of your cheeks to send in so your DNA can be added to the national registry. if it is a match for a patient, a donation could save a life.
Since going on the air in 1950, KENS 5has strived to be the best, most trusted news and entertainment source for generations of San Antonians.
KENS 5 has brought numerous firsts to South Texas television, including being the first local station with a helicopter, the first with its own Doppler radar and the first to air a local morning news program.
Over the years, KENS 5 has worked to transform local news. Our cameras have been the lens bringing history into local viewers' homes. We're proud of our legacy as we serve San Antonians today.
Today, KENS 5 continues to set the standard in local broadcasting and is recognized by its peers for excellence and innovation. The KENS 5 News team focuses on stories that really matter to our community.
You can find KENS 5 in more places than ever before, including KENS5.com, the KENS 5 app, the KENS 5 YouTube channel, KENS 5's Roku and Fire TV apps, and across social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more!
Read more:
Bone marrow drive held for military wife with cancer
Bone cancer – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic
By daniellenierenberg
Overview
Bone cancer can begin in any bone in the body, but it most commonly affects the pelvis or the long bones in the arms and legs. Bone cancer is rare, making up less than 1 percent of all cancers. In fact, noncancerous bone tumors are much more common than cancerous ones.
The term "bone cancer" doesn't include cancers that begin elsewhere in the body and spread (metastasize) to the bone. Instead, those cancers are named for where they began, such as breast cancer that has metastasized to the bone.
Some types of bone cancer occur primarily in children, while others affect mostly adults. Surgical removal is the most common treatment, but chemotherapy and radiation therapy also may be utilized. The decision to use surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy is based on the type of bone cancer being treated.
Signs and symptoms of bone cancer include:
Make an appointment with your doctor if you or your child develops bone pain that:
Subscribe for free and receive an in-depth guide to coping with cancer, plus helpful information on how to get a second opinion. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Subscribe
To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.
Your in-depth coping with cancer guide will be in your inbox shortly. You will also receive emails from Mayo Clinic on the latest about cancer news, research, and care.
If you dont receive our email within 5 minutes, check your SPAM folder, then contact us at newsletters@mayoclinic.com.
Please, try again in a couple of minutes
Retry
The cause of most bone cancers is unknown. A small number of bone cancers have been linked to hereditary factors, while others are related to previous radiation exposure.
Close
Osteosarcoma, the most common type of bone cancer, often starts in the long bones the legs or the arms but it can occur in any bone.
Bone cancers are broken down into separate types based on the type of cell where the cancer began. The most common types of bone cancer include:
It's not clear what causes bone cancer, but doctors have found certain factors are associated with an increased risk, including:
Bone cancer care at Mayo Clinic
March 22, 2022
Connect with others like you for support and answers to your questions in the Cancer support group on Mayo Clinic Connect, a patient community.
Go here to see the original:
Bone cancer - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
Bone | Definition, Anatomy, & Composition | Britannica
By daniellenierenberg
Top Questions
What is bone made of?
The two principal components of bone are collagen and calcium phosphate, which distinguish it from other hard tissues such as chitin, enamel, and shell.
What are the major functions of bone tissue?
Bone tissue makes up the individual bones of the skeletons of vertebrates. The other roles of bone include structural support for the mechanical action of soft tissues, protection of soft organs and tissues, provision of a protective site for specialized tissues such as the blood-forming system (bone marrow), and a mineral reservoir.
Do bones contain calcium?
Bone contains 99 percent of the calcium in the body and can behave as an adequate buffer for maintaining a constant level of freely moving calcium in soft tissues, extracellular fluid, and blood.
Why is calcium important for bone health?
The mechanical strength of bone is proportional to its mineral content. The Food and Nutrition Board of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences has recommended 1,0001,300 mg of calcium daily for adults and 7001,300 mg for children.
How does vitamin D deficiency affect bones in humans?
A deficiency in vitamin D results in poor mineralization of the bones of the skeleton, causing rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.
Summary
bone, rigid body tissue consisting of cells embedded in an abundant hard intercellular material. The two principal components of this material, collagen and calcium phosphate, distinguish bone from such other hard tissues as chitin, enamel, and shell. Bone tissue makes up the individual bones of the human skeletal system and the skeletons of other vertebrates.
The functions of bone include (1) structural support for the mechanical action of soft tissues, such as the contraction of muscles and the expansion of lungs, (2) protection of soft organs and tissues, as by the skull, (3) provision of a protective site for specialized tissues such as the blood-forming system (bone marrow), and (4) a mineral reservoir, whereby the endocrine system regulates the level of calcium and phosphate in the circulating body fluids.
Bone is found only in vertebrates, and, among modern vertebrates, it is found only in bony fish and higher classes. Although ancestors of the cyclostomes and elasmobranchs had armoured headcases, which served largely a protective function and appear to have been true bone, modern cyclostomes have only an endoskeleton, or inner skeleton, of noncalcified cartilage and elasmobranchs a skeleton of calcified cartilage. Although a rigid endoskeleton performs obvious body supportive functions for land-living vertebrates, it is doubtful that bone offered any such mechanical advantage to the teleost (bony fish) in which it first appeared, for in a supporting aquatic environment great structural rigidity is not essential for maintaining body configuration. The sharks and rays are superb examples of mechanical engineering efficiency, and their perseverance from the Devonian Period attests to the suitability of their nonbony endoskeleton.
In modern vertebrates, true bone is found only in animals capable of controlling the osmotic and ionic composition of their internal fluid environment. Marine invertebrates exhibit interstitial fluid compositions essentially the same as that of the surrounding seawater. Early signs of regulability are seen in cyclostomes and elasmobranchs, but only at or above the level of true bone fishes does the composition of the internal body fluids become constant. The mechanisms involved in this regulation are numerous and complex and include both the kidney and the gills. Fresh and marine waters provide abundant calcium but only traces of phosphate; because relatively high levels of phosphate are characteristic of the body fluids of higher vertebrates, it seems likely that a large, readily available internal phosphate reservoir would confer significant independence of external environment on bony vertebrates. With the emergence of terrestrial forms, the availability of calcium regulation became equally significant. Along with the kidney and the various component glands of the endocrine system, bone has contributed to development of internal fluid homeostasisthe maintenance of a constant chemical composition. This was a necessary step for the emergence of terrestrial vertebrates. Furthermore, out of the buoyancy of water, structural rigidity of bone afforded mechanical advantages that are the most obvious features of the modern vertebrate skeleton.
View original post here:
Bone | Definition, Anatomy, & Composition | Britannica
Bone Definition & Meaning – Merriam-Webster
By daniellenierenberg
often attributive
1
: one of the hard parts of the skeleton of a vertebrate
: any of various hard animal substances or structures (such as baleen or ivory) akin to or resembling bone
: the hard largely calcareous connective tissue of which the adult skeleton of most vertebrates is chiefly composed
2
3
bones plural
: the basic design or framework (as of a play or novel)
5
bones plural : thin bars of bone, ivory, or wood held in pairs between the fingers and used to produce musical rhythms
: a strip of material (such as whalebone or steel) used to stiffen a garment (such as a corset)
6
transitive verb
1
2
: to provide (a garment) with stays
3
: to rub (something, such as a boot or a baseball bat) with something hard (such as a piece of bone) in order to smooth the surface
4
US, vulgar slang : to have sexual intercourse with (someone)
Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced searchad free!
Here is the original post:
Bone Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
What Is Bone? | NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National …
By daniellenierenberg
To understand osteoporosis, it is important to learn about bone. Made mostly of collagen, bone is living, growing tissue. Collagen is a protein that provides a soft framework, and calcium phosphate is a mineral that adds strength and hardens the framework. This combination of collagen and calcium makes bone strong and flexible enough to withstand stress. More than 99 percent of the body's calcium is contained in the bones and teeth. The remaining 1 percent is found in the blood.
Two types of bone are found in the bodycortical and trabecular. Cortical bone is dense and compact. It forms the outer layer of the bone. Trabecular bone makes up the inner layer of the bone and has a spongy, honeycomb-like structure.
Think of bone as a bank account where you deposit and withdraw bone tissue. During childhood and the teenage years, new bone is added to the skeleton faster than old bone is removed. As a result, bones become larger, heavier, and denser. For most people, bone formation continues at a faster pace than removal until bone mass peaks during the third decade of life.
After age 20, bone withdrawals can begin to exceed deposits. For many people, this bone loss can be prevented by continuing to get calcium, vitamin D, and exercise and by avoiding tobacco and excessive alcohol use. Osteoporosis develops when bone removal occurs too quickly, replacement occurs too slowly, or both. You are more likely to develop osteoporosis if you did not reach your maximum peak bone mass during your bone-building years.
Women are more likely than men to develop osteoporosis. This is because women generally have smaller, thinner bones than men have and because women can lose bone tissue rapidly in the first 4 to 8 years after menopause because of the sharp decline in production of the hormone estrogen. Produced by the ovaries, estrogen has been shown to have a protective effect on bone. Women usually go through menopause between age 45 and 55. After menopause, bone loss in women greatly exceeds that in men. However, by age 65, women and men tend to lose bone tissue at the same rate. Although men do not undergo the equivalent of menopause, production of the male hormone testosterone may decrease, and this can lead to increased bone loss and a greater risk of developing osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is preventable for many people. Prevention is important because although there are treatments for osteoporosis, a cure has not yet been found. A comprehensive program that can help prevent osteoporosis includes:
The National Institutes of Health Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases ~National Resource Center acknowledges the assistance of theNational Osteoporosis Foundation in the preparation of this publication.
For updates and for any questions about any medications you are taking, please contact
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationToll Free: 888-INFO-FDA (888-463-6332)Website: https://www.fda.gov
For additional information on specific medications, visit Drugs@FDA at https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf. Drugs@FDA is a searchable catalog of FDA-approved drug products.
NIH Pub. No. 18-7876
See the original post:
What Is Bone? | NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National ...
Anatomy of the Bone | Johns Hopkins Medicine
By daniellenierenberg
What is bone?
Bone is living tissue that makes up the body's skeleton. There are 3 types of bone tissue, including the following:
Compact tissue. The harder, outer tissue of bones.
Cancellous tissue. The sponge-like tissue inside bones.
Subchondral tissue. The smooth tissue at the ends of bones, which is covered with another type of tissue called cartilage. Cartilage is the specialized, gristly connective tissue that is present in adults. It is also the tissue from which most bones develop in children.
The tough, thin outer membrane covering the bones iscalled theperiosteum. Beneath the hard outer shell of the periosteum are tunnels and canals through which blood and lymphatic vessels run to carry nourishment for the bone. Muscles, ligaments, and tendons may attach to the periosteum.
Bones are classified by their shapeas long, short, flat, and irregular. Primarily, they are referred to as long or short.
There are 206 bones in the human skeleton, not including teeth and sesamoid bones (small bones found within cartilage):
80 axial bones. This includes the head, facial, hyoid, auditory, trunk, ribs, and sternum.
126 appendicular bones. This includes arms, shoulders, wrists, hands, legs, hips, ankles, and feet.
Bone provides shape and support for the body, as well as protection for some organs. Bone also serves as a storage site for minerals and provides the mediummarrowfor the development and storage of blood cells.
The different types of bone cells include the following:
Osteoblast. Found within the bone, its function is to form new bone tissue.
Osteoclast. A very large cell formed in bone marrow, its function is to absorb and remove unwanted tissue.
Osteocyte. Found within the bone, its function is to help maintain bone as living tissue.
Hematopoietic. Found in bone marrow, its function is to produce red blood cells,white blood cells, and platelets.
Fat cells are also found within the bone marrow.
Because of the complexities of a bone's function, from providing strength and support for the body, to serving as a site for development and storage of blood cells, there are many disorders and diseases that can affect bone.
View post:
Anatomy of the Bone | Johns Hopkins Medicine
Bone Health: Is Eating Meat Healthy For Your Bones?
By daniellenierenberg
High protein intake from meat can lead to calcium loss and harm bone health
As to how consuming animal or plant protein impacts bone composition, many studies have been published. Numerous studies have shown that compared to plant-based protein, animal-based protein weakens bones. According to several research, persons who consume a lot of meat are more likely to develop osteoporosis (thin bone tissue) and fractures.
Resorption and formation of new bone are constantly balanced in healthy bones. Resorption is the breakdown of old bone to be reabsorbed (modeling). Most individuals are aware of the significance of calcium and vitamin D in the development and maintenance of strong bones. However, a theory that protein altered the body's natural chemistry in such a way that too much calcium was being excreted in urine emerged based on past research.
In one of her recent Instagram posts, nutritionist Anjali Mukerjee shares how meat protein can impact bone health. She writes, A high protein diet, especially from animal sources, can lead to calcium loss and harm bone health.
Meat has a high phosphorous-to-calcium ratio which increases calcium excretion and can cause bone demineralization.
Consuming animal protein, especially red meat, can make the blood acidic and lead to calcium being removed from bones.
She further writes, Protein is important for bone health, but too much animal protein, especially red meat, can actually harm your bones. So we need to make sure to include dairy, fish, chicken, and plant-based sources of protein in your diet, and don't forget to balance it with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Look at her post:
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
Congress-Left Alliance 'Unholy', Joining BJP Like taking dip in Ganga: Tripura Chief Minister
Waiting for response to load...
The rest is here:
Bone Health: Is Eating Meat Healthy For Your Bones?
Bone Keeper | Deepwoken Wiki | Fandom
By daniellenierenberg
Where did my health go - A player after being grabbed once
Also known as The Boner, and the Bone OneBone KeeperSans hasn't been same after playing deepwoken...Health10000
(Regenerates 20 Health per second)
The Bone Keeper is a monster found in the Eternal Gale.
Bone Keepers are giant, humanoid creatures, with inhuman proportions, having extremely short legs and large arms. It has clearly clawed feet, with bone claws for hands. They sport a red & gold loincloth of sorts on their lower body and seemingly not having any clothes on their upper half. Their head also appears to be made out of bones or a bone-like material.
Bone Keepers are incredibly mobile and hard-hitting enemies. They are certainly a large difficulty step-up from the mobs found in Layer 1, however all of their attacks are well telegraphed and can be avoided with proper experience, though their damage yields greater punishment, were you to fail to avoid them.
Slash
Excerpt from:
Bone Keeper | Deepwoken Wiki | Fandom
With blood and plasma donations in short supply, uniting communities to give the gift of life – Toronto Star
By daniellenierenberg
With blood and plasma donations in short supply, uniting communities to give the gift of life Toronto Star
Read the original post:
With blood and plasma donations in short supply, uniting communities to give the gift of life - Toronto Star
Side Effects of a Bone Marrow Transplant (Stem Cell Transplant)
By daniellenierenberg
A bone marrow transplant is a medical treatment that replaces your bone marrow with healthy bone marrow stem cells. It is also called a stem cell transplant or, more specifically, a hematopoietic stem cell transplant. This type of transplantation can treat certain types of cancer and other diseases that affect the bone marrow. Like any cancer treatment, it can cause side effects. These side effects can be different for everyone and depend on the type of transplant you receive, your general health, and other factors.
It is a good idea to talk with your health care team about the possible side effects before starting your transplant process. This includes short-term side effects that are expected to go away over time, as well as side effects that may occur later, last longer, or be permanent. This will help you feel more prepared and supported if a side effect does occur.
And, talk with your health care team regularly about any symptoms or side effects you experience throughout your transplantation process and recovery. This includes when a side effect worsens or a new problem appears. Managing side effects is an important part of cancer care and treatment and it is especially important during transplantation. This type of care is called palliative or supportive care. It can help people with any stage of cancer feel better.
There are different kinds of bone marrow transplants and the side effects can be different. The side effects for an autologous transplant and an allogenic transplant are detailed below.
An autologous bone marrow transplant is also called an AUTO transplant or stem cell rescue. During an AUTO transplant, your own stem cells are removed from your body before an intensive chemotherapy treatment. This intensive treatment, which can also include radiation therapy, damages your stem cells. The healthy stem cells are then put back in your body to "replace" the ones damaged by the treatment.
Many side effects of an AUTO transplant are similar to common side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The most serious side effect is a higher risk of infection from your body's low levels of white blood cells.
Infection. Chemotherapy and some other treatments weaken your body's infection-fighting system, called the immune system. This is especially true of treatment given for a bone marrow/stem cell transplant, because the bone marrow is part of the immune system. When your immune system is weakened, your body cannot protect itself as well against germs. Most of these germs already live in your body. When your immune system is strong, these germs do not make you sick. But after a transplant, they can cause an infection. Fortunately, most of these infections can be easily treated with antibiotics.
About 2 weeks after your transplant day, your immune system will begin to recover. You have the highest risk of infections in the first few weeks after transplant, but you will still be at a higher risk of infections for a year or more after. Your health care team will talk to you about ways to reduce your risk of infections during your recovery. Learn more about infections as a side effect of cancer treatment.
Other immediate side effects of AUTO transplants. The following side effects can develop right after the high doses of chemotherapy used for AUTO transplants:
Long-term side effects of AUTO transplants. Some transplant side effects happen months or years later. These can include:
An allogenic transplant is also called an ALLO transplant. In an ALLO transplant, the replacement cells come from another person, called a donor. After a round of chemotherapy and sometimes radiation therapy, you will receive the donor's healthy cells.
The side effects of an ALLO transplant are similar to common side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. This includes a high risk for infections. You are also at risk of side effects caused by having another person's stem cells, including a risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD; see below). Many people also have a "graft-versus-cancer-cell effect" along with GVHD. This is because the new stem cells recognize and destroy cancer cells that are still in the body. It is the main way ALLO transplants work to cure cancers like leukemia.
Infection. After an ALLO transplant, your doctor will give you chemotherapy, with or without radiation therapy or other drugs, to keep your body's immune system from destroying the new donated cells. These treatments affect your immune system and make infection risk higher. A weak immune system makes you more likely to get infections.
You are at the highest risk of infection in the first few weeks after receiving the donor's cells. The risks lessen over time, but infection risk reduction is an important part of your long-term recovery.
Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Sometimes donor cells can attack your body, causing inflammation. This is a specific side effect of ALLO transplantation called GVHD. Even if your donor was a 100% match, you can still get GVHD. Your health care team can give you medication to prevent GVHD. If you still experience GVHD, your doctor will give you more medications to manage the condition. GVHD can be life-threatening in some cases.
There are 2 types of GVHD: acute and chronic. Both can range from mild to severe.
This form of GVHD happens in the first 3 months after an ALLO transplant. It often affects the skin, intestines, and liver. It can cause rashes, diarrhea, and jaundice. Jaundice is a liver problem that makes skin and the whites of the eyes look yellow.
The treatment for acute GVHD is to block T cells. T cells are white blood cells that help the immune system fight infections. Blocking them keeps your transplanted immune system from attacking your body's own cells.
Chronic GVHD usually develops more than 3 months after an ALLO transplant. It can last a few months or the rest of your life.
Chronic GVHD may or may not cause symptoms or need treatment. You may need treatment for specific problems. Some common problems of chronic GVHD include:
There are 2 medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat chronic graft-versus-host disease.
Ruxolitinib (Jakafi) in adults and children 12 years and older after 1 or more treatments with systemic therapy
Ibrutinib (Imbruvica) in children 1 year and older after 1 or more treatments with systemic therapy
Chronic GVHD can be treated with medications called corticosteroids. If this does not work well, you might take other medications to make your immune system less active.
Other immediate side effects. Side effects that can develop right after the high doses of chemotherapy used for ALLO transplantation include the following.
Late or long-term side effects. Some transplantation side effects can happen months or years later. These can include:
People who have less powerful chemotherapy treatments before their transplant tend to have fewer long-term physical effects.
Talk with your health care team about possible physical side effects of your bone marrow transplant, as well as what signs to watch for. They can help answer your questions and make a plan to manage short-term and long-term side effects.
Bone marrow transplantation is an extended medical process, and many people experience a variety of emotional and social challenges during this treatment and recovery. This can include anxiety and depression. It can also include the uncertainty and stress that cancer brings, self-image changes, changes in relationships with loved ones, feelings of isolation, and grieving losses from cancer and its treatment.
Be sure to share your feelings, including with your health care team. They want to know how you are feeling during and after transplantation. There are many ways to help support your mental health during this stressful time, including counseling, joining a support group, journaling, art therapy, mindfulness, and meditation.
It is important to talk often with your health care team about different types of side effects, before, during, and after your transplant. This helps you gather information and make decisions on treatment and care. Here are some possible questions to ask.
What tests will be done before the transplant process starts to check my general health?
When could I start to experience side effects during this process?
What specific side effects are common with this type of transplant? How can each one be managed or relieved?
Who should I call if I experience any side effects from my transplant?
What signs of an infection should I look out for?
What precautions to prevent infection should I follow? For how long?
What side effects should I tell my health care team right away?
If I will have an ALLO transplant, will I take any medications to prevent GVHD?
If I will have an ALLO transplant, what are the signs of GVHD that I should watch for?
What tests will I need later? How often?
What are the possible late effects of a transplant? How can they be managed or relieved?
How will having a transplant affect my daily life? Can I work? Can I exercise and do regular activities? Or, when can I restart these activities during my recovery?
Will having a transplant affect my sex life? If so, how and for how long?
Will having this transplant affect my ability to have a child in the future? If so, can you refer me to a fertility specialist before treatment begins?
Why is good nutrition important during and after a transplant? Should I meet with an oncology registered dietitian?
Who can I talk with about the emotional effects of cancer and this treatment?
What can I do at home to keep myself as healthy as possible?
What is a Bone Marrow Transplant (Stem Cell Transplant)?
Resources on Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant
Coping With the Fear of Treatment-Related Side Effects
Survivorship
Bone Marrow Transplant and Older Adults
Be the Match: Life After Transplant
Be the Match: GVHD Signs and Symptoms
BMT InfoNet: Transplant Basics
National Bone Marrow Transplant Link: Publications on Side Effects and Survivorship
View post:
Side Effects of a Bone Marrow Transplant (Stem Cell Transplant)
28-year-old cancer patient at Nebraska Medicine advocates for diversity in bone marrow registry – KMTV 3 News Now Omaha
By daniellenierenberg
28-year-old cancer patient at Nebraska Medicine advocates for diversity in bone marrow registry KMTV 3 News Now Omaha
Read more here:
28-year-old cancer patient at Nebraska Medicine advocates for diversity in bone marrow registry - KMTV 3 News Now Omaha
Stem Cell Technologies and Applications Market Report 2022-2032 – Yahoo Finance
By daniellenierenberg
- Stem Cell Technologies and Applications Market Report 2022-2032 Yahoo Finance
- Stem Cell Therapy Market is expected to generate a revenue of USD 296.14 Million by 2028, Globally, at 10.97% CAGR: Verified Market Research PR Newswire
- The Stem Cell Technologies and Applications market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.9% by 2032: Visiongain Reports Ltd GlobeNewswire
- Global Stem Cell Therapy Market Survey Insights,Outlook and Forecast 2023-2030 PRIZM News PRIZM News
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Read more here:
Stem Cell Technologies and Applications Market Report 2022-2032 - Yahoo Finance
Fred Hutch at ASH: Global insights on AML outcomes, COVID-19 and cancer, CD19 CAR T-cell therapy updates, latest on precision oncology and more -…
By daniellenierenberg
Types of Stem Cell and Bone Marrow Transplants – American Cancer Society
By daniellenierenberg
Stem cell transplants are used to give back stem cells when the bone marrow has been destroyed by disease, chemotherapy (chemo), or radiation. Depending on where the stem cells come from, the transplant procedure may be called:
They can all be called hematopoietic stem cell transplants.
In a typical stem cell transplant for cancer, very high doses of chemo are used, sometimes along with radiation therapy, to try to kill all the cancer cells. This treatment also kills the stem cells in the bone marrow. This is called myeloablation or myeloablative therapy. Soon after treatment, stem cells are given (transplanted) to replace those that were destroyed. The replacement stem cells are given into a vein, much like ablood transfusion. The goal is that over time, the transplanted cells settle in the bone marrow, begin to grow and make healthy blood cells. This process is called engraftment.
There are 2 main types of transplants. They are named based on who donates the stem cells.
In this type of transplant, the first step is to remove or harvest your own stem cells. Your stem cells are removed from either your bone marrow or your blood, and then frozen. (You can learn more about this process at Whats It Like to Donate Stem Cells?) After you get high doses of chemo and/or radiation as your myeloablative therapy, the stem cells are thawed and given back to you.
Benefits of autologous stem cell transplant: One advantage of autologous stem cell transplant is that youre getting your own cells back. When you get your own stem cells back, you dont have to worry about them (called the engrafted cells or the graft) being rejected by your body.
Risks of autologous stem cell transplant: The grafts can still fail, which means the transplanted stem cells dont go into the bone marrow and make blood cells like they should. Also, autologous transplants cant produce the graft-versus-cancer effect. A possible disadvantage of an autologous transplant is that cancer cells might be collected along with the stem cells and then later put back into your body. Another disadvantage is that your immune system is the same as it was before your transplant. This means the cancer cells were able to escape attack from your immune system before, and may be able to do so again.
This kind of transplant is mainly used to treat certain leukemias, lymphomas, and multiple myeloma. Its sometimes used for other cancers, like testicular cancer and neuroblastoma, and certain cancers in children. Doctors can use autologous transplants for other diseases, too, like systemic sclerosis, multiple sclerosis (MS), and systemic lupus erythematosis (lupus).
To help prevent any remaining cancer cells from being transplanted along with stem cells, some centers treat the stem cells before theyre given back to the patient. This may be called purging. While this might work for some patients, there haven't been enough studies yet to know if this is really a benefit. A possible downside of purging is that some normal stem cells can be lost during this process. This may cause your body to take longer to start making normal blood cells, and you might have very low and unsafe levels of white blood cells or platelets for a longer time. This could increase the risk of infections or bleeding problems.
Another treatment to help kill cancer cells that might be in the returned stem cells involves giving anti-cancer drugs after the transplant. The stem cells are not treated. After transplant, the patient gets anti-cancer drugs to get rid of any cancer cells that may be in the body. This is called in vivo purging. For instance, lenalidomide (Revlimid) may be used in this way for multiple myeloma. The need to remove cancer cells from transplanted stem cells or transplant patients and the best way to do it continues to be researched.
Doing 2 autologous transplants in a row is known as a tandem transplant or a double autologous transplant. In this type of transplant, the patient gets 2 courses of high-dose chemo as myeloablative therapy, each followed by a transplant of their own stem cells. All of the stem cells needed are collected before the first high-dose chemo treatment, and half of them are used for each transplant. Usually, the 2 courses of chemo are given within 6 months. The second one is given after the patient recovers from the first one.
Tandem transplants have become the standard of care for certain cancers. High-risk types of the childhood cancer neuroblastoma and adult multiple myeloma are cancers where tandem transplants seem to show good results. But doctors dont always agree that these are really better than a single transplant for certain cancers. Because this treatment involves 2 transplants, the risk of serious outcomes is higher than for a single transplant.
Sometimes an autologous transplant followed by an allogeneic transplant might also be called a tandem transplant. (See Mini-transplants below.)
Allogeneic stem cell transplants use donor stem cells. In the most common type of allogeneic transplant, the stem cells come from a donor whose tissue type closely matches yours. (This is discussed in Matching patients and donors.) The best donor is a close family member, usually a brother or sister. If you dont have a good match in your family, a donor might be found in the general public through a national registry. This is sometimes called a MUD (matched unrelated donor) transplant. Transplants with a MUD are usually riskier than those with a relative who is a good match.
An allogeneic transplant works about the same way as an autologous transplant. Stem cells are collected from the donor and stored or frozen. After you get high doses of chemo and/or radiation as your myeloablative therapy, the donor's stem cells are thawed and given to you.
Blood taken from the placenta and umbilical cord of newborns is a type of allogeneic transplant. This small volume of cord blood has a high number of stem cells that tend to multiply quickly. Cord blood transplants are done for both adults and children. By 2017, an estimated 700,000 units (batches) of cord blood had been donated for public use. And, even more have been collected for private use. In some studies, the risk of a cancer not going away or coming back after a cord blood transplant was less than after an unrelated donor transplant.
Benefits of allogeneic stem cell transplant: The donor stem cells make their own immune cells, which could help kill any cancer cells that remain after high-dose treatment. This is called the graft-versus-cancer or graft-versus-tumor effect. Other advantages are that the donor can often be asked to donate more stem cells or even white blood cells if needed, and stem cells from healthy donors are free of cancer cells.
Risks of allogeneic stem cell transplants: The transplant, or graft, might not take that is, the transplanted donor stem cells could die or be destroyed by the patients body before settling in the bone marrow. Another risk is that the immune cells from the donor may not just attack the cancer cells they could attack healthy cells in the patients body. This is called graft-versus-host disease. There is also a very small risk of certain infections from the donor cells, even though donors are tested before they donate. A higher risk comes from infections you had previously, and which your immune system has had under control. These infections may surface after allogeneic transplant because your immune system is held in check (suppressed) by medicines called immunosuppressive drugs. Such infections can cause serious problems and even death.
Allogeneic transplant is most often used to treat certain types of leukemia, lymphomas, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndrome, and other bone marrow disorders such as aplastic anemia.
For some people, age or certain health conditions make it more risky to do myeloablative therapy that wipes out all of their bone marrow before a transplant. For those people, doctors can use a type of allogeneic transplant thats sometimes called a mini-transplant. Your doctor might refer to it as a non-myeloablative transplant or mention reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC). Patients getting a mini transplant typically get lower doses of chemo and/or radiation than if they were getting a standard myeloablative transplant. The goal in the mini-transplant is to kill some of the cancer cells (which will also kill some of the bone marrow), and suppress the immune system just enough to allow donor stem cells to settle in the bone marrow.
Unlike the standard allogeneic transplant, cells from both the donor and the patient exist together in the patients body for some time after a mini-transplant. But slowly, over the course of months, the donor cells take over the bone marrow and replace the patients own bone marrow cells. These new cells can then develop an immune response to the cancer and help kill off the patients cancer cells the graft-versus-cancer effect.
One advantage of a mini-transplant is that it uses lower doses of chemo and/or radiation. And because the stem cells arent all killed, blood cell counts dont drop as low while waiting for the new stem cells to start making normal blood cells. This makes it especially useful for older patients and those with other health problems. Rarely, it may be used in patients who have already had a transplant.
Mini-transplants treat some diseases better than others. They may not work well for patients with a lot of cancer in their body or people with fast-growing cancers. Also, although there might be fewer side effects from chemo and radiation than those from a standard allogeneic transplant, the risk of graft-versus-host disease is the same. Some studies have shown that for some cancers and some other blood conditions, both adults and children can have the same kinds of results with a mini-transplant as compared to a standard transplant.
This is a special kind of allogeneic transplant that can only be used when the patient has an identical sibling (twin or triplet) someone who has the exact same tissue type. An advantage of syngeneic stem cell transplant is that graft-versus-host disease will not be a problem. Also, there are no cancer cells in the transplanted stem cells, as there might be in an autologous transplant.
A disadvantage is that because the new immune system is so much like the recipients immune system, theres no graft-versus-cancer effect. Every effort must be made to destroy all the cancer cells before the transplant is done to help keep the cancer from coming back.
Improvements have been made in the use of family members as donors. This kind of transplant is called ahalf-match (haploidentical) transplant for people who dont have fully matching or identical family member. This can be another option to consider, along with cord blood transplant and matched unrelated donor (MUD) transplant.
If possible, it is very important that the donor and recipient are a close tissue match to avoid graft rejection. Graft rejection happens when the recipients immune system recognizes the donor cells as foreign and tries to destroy them as it would a bacteria or virus. Graft rejection can lead to graft failure, but its rare when the donor and recipient are well matched.
A more common problem is that when the donor stem cells make their own immune cells, the new cells may see the patients cells as foreign and attack their new home. This is called graft-versus-host disease. (See Stem Cell Transplant Side Effects for more on this). The new, grafted stem cells attack the body of the person who got the transplant. This is another reason its so important to find the closest match possible.
Many factors play a role in how the immune system knows the difference between self and non-self, but the most important for transplants is the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system. Human leukocyte antigens are proteins found on the surface of most cells. They make up a persons tissue type, which is different from a persons blood type.
Each person has a number of pairs of HLA antigens. We inherit them from both of our parents and, in turn, pass them on to our children. Doctors try to match these antigens when finding a donor for a person getting a stem cell transplant.
How well the donors and recipients HLA tissue types match plays a large part in whether the transplant will work. A match is best when all 6 of the known major HLA antigens are the same a 6 out of 6 match. People with these matches have a lower chance of graft-versus-host disease, graft rejection, having a weak immune system, and getting serious infections. For bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell transplants, sometimes a donor with a single mismatched antigen is used a 5 out of 6 match. For cord blood transplants a perfect HLA match doesnt seem to be as important, and even a sample with a couple of mismatched antigens may be OK.
Doctors keep learning more about better ways to match donors. Today, fewer tests may be needed for siblings, since their cells vary less than an unrelated donor. But to reduce the risks of mismatched types between unrelated donors, more than the basic 6 HLA antigens may be tested. For example, sometimes doctors to try and get a 10 out of 10 match. Certain transplant centers now require high-resolution matching, which looks more deeply into tissue types and allow more specific HLA matching.
There are thousands of different combinations of possible HLA tissue types. This can make it hard to find an exact match. HLA antigens are inherited from both parents. If possible, the search for a donor usually starts with the patients brothers and sisters (siblings), who have the same parents as the patient. The chance that any one sibling would be a perfect match (that is, that you both received the same set of HLA antigens from each of your parents) is 1 out of 4.
If a sibling is not a good match, the search could then move on to relatives who are less likely to be a good match parents, half siblings, and extended family, such as aunts, uncles, or cousins. (Spouses are no more likely to be good matches than other people who are not related.) If no relatives are found to be a close match, the transplant team will widen the search to the general public.
As unlikely as it seems, its possible to find a good match with a stranger. To help with this process, the team will use transplant registries, like those listed here. Registries serve as matchmakers between patients and volunteer donors. They can search for and access millions of possible donors and hundreds of thousands of cord blood units.
Be the Match (formerly the National Marrow Donor Program)Toll-free number: 1-800-MARROW-2 (1-800-627-7692)Website: http://www.bethematch.org
Blood & Marrow Transplant Information NetworkToll-free number: 1-888-597-7674Website: http://www.bmtinfonet.org
Depending on a persons tissue typing, several other international registries also are available. Sometimes the best matches are found in people with a similar racial or ethnic background. When compared to other ethnic groups, white people have a better chance of finding a perfect match for stem cell transplant among unrelated donors. This is because ethnic groups have differing HLA types, and in the past there was less diversity in donor registries, or fewer non-White donors. However, the chances of finding an unrelated donor match improve each year, as more volunteers become aware of registries and sign up for them.
Finding an unrelated donor can take months, though cord blood may be a little faster. A single match can require going through millions of records. Also, now that transplant centers are more often using high-resolution tests, matching is becoming more complex. Perfect 10 out of 10 matches at that level are much harder to find. But transplant teams are also getting better at figuring out what kinds of mismatches can be tolerated in which particular situations that is, which mismatched antigens are less likely to affect transplant success and survival.
Keep in mind that there are stages to this process there may be several matches that look promising but dont work out as hoped. The team and registry will keep looking for the best possible match for you. If your team finds an adult donor through a transplant registry, the registry will contact the donor to set up the final testing and donation. If your team finds matching cord blood, the registry will have the cord blood sent to your transplant center.
Read more:
Types of Stem Cell and Bone Marrow Transplants - American Cancer Society
Getting a Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplant – American Cancer Society
By daniellenierenberg
When the decision is made to have a stem cell or bone marrow transplant, there are several steps in theprocess. The steps are much the same, no matter what type of transplant youre going to have.
You will first be evaluated to find out if you are eligible for a transplant. A transplant is very hard on your body. For many people, transplants can mean a cure, but for some people, problems can lead to severe complications or even death. Youll want to weigh the benefits and risks before you start.
Transplants can also be hard emotionally. They often require being in the hospital, being isolated, and theres a high risk of side effects. Many of the effects are short-term, but some problems can go on for years. This can mean changes in the way you live your life. For some people its just for a while, but for others, the changes may be lifelong. Some of the side effects are really unpleasant and can be serious. Your cancer care team will do everything they can to make you comfortable, but some of the side effects may not be completely controlled or relieved.
Before you have a transplant, you need to discuss the transplant process and all its effects with your doctors. It also helps to talk with others who have already had transplants.
Its also very hard going through weeks and months of not knowing how your transplant will turn out. This takes a lot of time and emotional energy from the patient, caregivers, and loved ones. Its very important to have the support of those close to you. For example, youll need a responsible adult who will be with you to give you medicines, help watch for problems, and stay in touch with your transplant team after you go home. Your transplant team will help you and your caregiver learn what you need to know. The team can also help you and your loved ones work through the ups and downs as you prepare for and go through the transplant.
Many different medical tests will be done, and questions will be asked to try to find out how well you can handle the transplant process. These might include:
You will also talk about your health insurance coverage and related costs that you might have to pay.
You may have a central venous catheter (CVC) put into a large vein in your chest. This is most often done as outpatient surgery, and usually only local anesthesia is needed (the place where the catheter goes in is made numb). Nurses will use the catheter to draw blood and give you medicines.
If youre getting an autologous transplant, a special catheter can be placed that can also be used when your stem cells are being removed or harvested.
The CVC will stay in during your treatment and for some time afterward, usually until your transplanted stem cells have engrafted and your blood counts are on a steady climb to normal.
Younger people, people who are in the early stages of disease, or those who have not already had a lot of treatment, often do better with transplants. Some transplant centers set age limits. Some people also may not be eligible for transplant if they have other major health problems, such as serious heart, lung, liver, or kidney disease. A mini-transplant, described under Allogeneic stem cell transplant in Types of Stem Cell Transplants for Cancer Treatment may be an option for some of these people.
The hospitals transplant team will decide if you need to be in the hospital to have your transplant, if it will be done in an outpatient center, or if you will be in the hospital just for parts of it. If you have to be in the hospital, you will probably go in the day before pre-transplant chemo or radiation treatment begins (see the next section), the transplant team makes sure you and your family understand the process and want to go forward with it.
If you will be having all or part of your transplant as an outpatient, youll need to be very near the transplant center during the early stages. Youll need a family member or loved one to be a caregiver who can stay with you all the time. You and the caregiver will also need reliable transportation to and from the clinic. The transplant team will be watching you closely for complications, so expect to be at the clinic every day for a few weeks. You may still need to be in the hospital if your situation changes or if you start having complications.
To reduce the chance of infection during treatment, patients who are in the hospital are put in private rooms that have special air filters. The room may also have a protective barrier to separate it from other rooms and hallways. Some have an air pressure system that makes sure no unclean outside air gets into the room. If youre going to be treated as an outpatient, you will get instructions on avoiding infection. Usually, people who have transplants are in a separate, special part of the hospital to keep as many germs away as possible.
The transplant experience can be overwhelming. Your transplant team will be there to help you prepare for the process physically and emotionally and to discuss your needs. Every effort will be made to answer questions so you and your family fully understand what will be happening to you as you go through transplant.
Its important for you and your family to know what to expect, because once conditioning treatment begins (see the next section), theres no going back there can be serious problems if treatment is stopped at any time during transplant.
Having a transplant takes a serious commitment from you and your caregiver and family, so it is important to know exactly what to expect.
Conditioning, also known as pre-transplant treatment,bone marrow preparation, or myeloablation, is usually treatment with high-dose chemo and/or radiation therapy. Its the first step in the transplant process and typically takes a week or two. Its done for one or more of these reasons:
The conditioning treatment is different for every transplant. Your treatment will be planned based on the type of cancer you have, the type of transplant, and any chemo or radiation therapy youve had in the past.
If chemo is part of your treatment plan, it will be given in your central venous catheter and/or as pills. If radiation therapy is planned, its given to the entire body (called total body irradiation or TBI). TBI may be given in a single treatment session or in divided doses over a few days.
This phase of the transplant can be very uncomfortable because very high treatment doses are used. Chemo and radiation side effects can make you sick, and it may take you months to fully recover. A very common problem is mouth sores that will need to be treated with strong pain medicines. You may also have nausea, vomiting, be unable to eat, lose your hair, and have lung or breathing problems.
Conditioning can also cause premature menopause in women and often makes people sterile (unable to have children). (See Stem Cell Transplant Side Effects.)
After the conditioning treatment, youll be given a couple of days to rest before getting the stem cells. They will be given through your central venous catheter, much like a blood transfusion. If the stem cells were frozen, you might get some drugs before the stem cells are given. These drugs are used to help reduce your risk of reacting to the preservatives that are used when freezing the cells.
If the stem cells were frozen, they are thawed in warm water then given right away. There may be more than 1 bag of stem cells. For allogeneic or syngeneic transplants, the donor cells may be harvested (removed) in an operating room, and then processed in the lab right away. Once they are ready, the cells are brought in and given to you theyre not frozen. The length of time it takes to get all the stem cells depends on how much fluid the stem cells are in.
You will be awake for this process, and it doesnt hurt. This is a big step and often has great meaning for patientsand their families. Many people consider this their rebirth or chance at a second life. They may celebrate this day as they would their actual birthday.
Side effects from the infusion are rare and usually mild. The preserving agent used when freezing the stem cells causes many of the side effects. For instance, you might have a strong taste of garlic or creamed corn in your mouth. Sucking on candy or sipping flavored drinks during and after the infusion can help with the taste. Your body will also smell like this. The smell may bother those around you, but you might not even notice it. The smell, along with the taste, may last for a few days, but slowly fades away. Often having cut up oranges in the room will offset the odor. Patients who have transplants from cells that were not frozen do not have this problem because the cells are not mixed with the preserving agent.
Other side effects you might have during and right after the stem cell infusion include:
Again, side effects are rare and usually mild. If they do happen, they are treated as needed. The stem cell infusion must always be completed.
The recovery stage begins after the stem cell infusion. During this time, you and your family wait for the cells to engraft, or take, after which they start to multiply and make new blood cells. The time it takes to start seeing a steady return to normal blood counts varies depending on the patient and the transplant type, but its usually about 2 to 6 weeks. Youll be in the hospital or visit the transplant center daily for a number of weeks.
During the first couple of weeks youll have low numbers of red and white blood cells and platelets. Right after transplant, when your counts are the lowest, you may be given antibiotics to help keep you from getting infections. You may get a combination of anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral drugs. These are usually given until your white blood cell count reaches a certain level. Still, you can have problems, such as infection from too few white blood cells (neutropenia), or bleeding from too few platelets (thrombocytopenia). Many patients have high fevers and need IV antibiotics to treat serious infections. Transfusions of red blood cells and platelets are often needed until the bone marrow starts working and new blood cells are being made by the infused stem cells.
Except for graft-versus-host disease, which only happens with allogeneic transplants, the side effects from autologous, allogeneic, and syngeneic stem cell transplants are much the same. Problems may include stomach, heart, lung, liver, or kidney problems. (Stem Cell Transplant Side Effects goes into the details.) You might also go through feelings of distress, anxiety, depression, joy, or anger. Adjusting emotionally after the stem cells can be hard because of the length of time you feel ill and isolated from others.
You might feel as if you are on an emotional roller coaster during this time. Support and encouragement from family, friends, and the transplant team are very important to get you through the challenges after transplant.
The discharge process actually begins weeks before your transplant. It starts with the transplant team teaching you and your primary (main) caregiver about:
For the most part, transplant centers dont send patients home until they meet the following criteria:
(Why Are Stem Cell Transplants Used as Cancer Treatment? has more information about neutrophils, platelets, and hematocrit).
If you do not meet all of these requirements, but still dont need the intensive care of the transplant unit, you might be moved to another oncology unit. When you do go home, you might need to stay near the transplant center for some time, depending on your condition.
The process of stem cell transplant doesnt end when you go home. Youll feel tired, and some people have physical or mental health problems in the rehabilitation period. You might still be taking a lot of medicines. These ongoing needs must now be managed at home, so caregiver and friend/family support is very important.
Transplant patients are followed closely during rehab. You might need daily or weekly exams along with things like blood tests, and maybe other tests, too. During early rehab, you also might need blood and platelet transfusions, antibiotics, or other treatments. At first youll need to see your transplant team often, maybe even every day, but youll progress to less frequent visits if things are going well. It can take 6 to 12 months, or even longer, for blood counts to get close to normal and your immune system to work well. During this time, your team will still be closely watching you.
Some problems might show up as much as a year or more after the stem cells were infused. They can include:
Other problems can also come up, such as:
Your transplant team is still there to help you, even though the transplant happened months ago. Its important that you tell them about any problems you are having they can help you get the support you need to manage the changes that you are going through. They can also help you know if problems are serious, or a normal part of recovery. The National Bone Marrow Transplant Link helps patients, caregivers, and families by providing information and support services before, during, and after transplant. They can be reached at 1-800-LINK-BMT (1-800-546-5268) or online at http://www.nbmtlink.org.
Read more:
Getting a Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplant - American Cancer Society
Woman, 41, With Bubbles In Her Urine Dismissed By Doctors. Turns Out To Have The Blood Cancer Multiple Myeloma. – SurvivorNet
By daniellenierenberg
Continue reading here:
Woman, 41, With Bubbles In Her Urine Dismissed By Doctors. Turns Out To Have The Blood Cancer Multiple Myeloma. - SurvivorNet