Is the actual bone marrow what is necessary for the patient to recover?
Well, yes and no. The patient actually needs the stem cells derived from the donor’s, or his or her own, bone marrow to eventually seed the bones and grow into healthy marrow so it can produce healthy blood cells. In allogenic and syngeneic transplants, this marrow is essentially the donor’s but becomes the patient’s. In order to survive, we need our own bone marrow to produce blood cells and platelets. Since the patient’s bone marrow’s ability to produce cells has been destroyed by disease and treatment, the donor’s bone marrow will eventually make it possible for patient to produce their own blood cells. You cannot live without healthy bone marrow for very long at all. Transfusions are often necessary during treatment since the patient cannot produce enough of these blood cells.
