Why is a bone marrow transplant needed?
The goal of a bone marrow transplant is to cure many diseases and types of cancer. When a child’s bone marrow has been damaged or destroyed due to a disease or intense treatments of radiation or chemotherapy for cancer, a marrow transplant may be needed. A bone marrow transplant can be used to: • replace diseased, non-functioning bone marrow with healthy functioning bone marrow (for conditions such as leukemia, aplastic anemia, and sickle cell anemia). • replace the bone marrow and restore its normal function after high doses of chemotherapy or radiation are given to treat a malignancy. This process is often called “rescue” (for diseases such as lymphoma, neuroblastoma, and breast cancer). • replace bone marrow with genetically healthy functioning bone marrow to prevent further damage from a genetic disease process (such as Hurler’s syndrome, and adrenoleukodystrophy). Bone marrow transplantation has risks involved, some of which are life threatening. The risks and benefits must be wei
