Bone marrow transplantation in Israel, Germany, Turkey

Depending on the patient’s pathology, both the indications for bone marrow transplantation and the most appropriate source of donor material are determined. Depending on who is the bone marrow donor, the following types of transplantation are distinguished:

• Autologous. Hematopoietic stem cells are obtained from the patient itself. The bone marrow obtained from the patient is frozen and stored at the temperature of liquid nitrogen all the time while the person is undergoing the necessary treatment and preparation for transplantation. Also, hematopoietic stem cells can be isolated from human peripheral blood, if the clinic has the necessary equipment. Indications for autologous transplant include lymphogranulomatosis, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma, autoimmune diseases, a number of sarcomas, neuroblastoma, and even multiple sclerosis.
• Allogeneic. A donor is a healthy person who is similar to the patient in a number of genetic parameters. This similarity reduces the likelihood of developing a rejection reaction and other transplantation complications. In this case, the donor may be a relative of the patient (brother, sister, parents) or not a relative. Indications for allogeneic transplantation are acute and some forms of chronic leukemia, severe aplastic anemia, the presence of congenital immunodeficiency in a child.

Technically, it is not difficult to transplant donor bone marrow to a person. It is administered to the patient intravenously into the patient’s vascular bed. And from there, the cells of the hematopoietic tissue enter the spongy bone tissue, where all conditions are created for their functioning and active division.

Difficulties arise at the stage of preparing the patient for transplantation and during the recovery period.

First of all, it is:

• The need to bring the patient into remission for the underlying disease.
• Selection of a suitable donor. The likelihood of compatibility in blood relatives is only about 25%, in non-blood relatives it is even less.
• Difficulties associated with the conditioning procedure – a mandatory stage of transplantation, during which the patient’s own bone marrow is destroyed. During this period, a person needs special care and sterile conditions since changes in the body can become potentially fatal.

Autologous transplantation is performed in our clinics and the results can be considered satisfactory.

A significant disadvantage of domestic medical institutions is the lack of accurate diagnostic methods that allow establishing with 100% accuracy that the bone marrow does not contain blast (cancer) cells. If during the examination of the bone marrow of a sick person in the laboratory, the cancer cells will not be detected, and this, unfortunately, happens, all treatment will be in vain, since after the transplantation the patient will have the same disease from which he (she) was saved with these difficulties.

There are also some issues about the quality of patient care after transplantation. Rehabilitation after transplantation is very difficult, so it is important that competent doctors and all the necessary resuscitation equipment are nearby. In this regard, even an autologous bone marrow transplantation is better done abroad. Allogeneic transplantation from a related donor in our country is permitted at the legislative level. However, the technical equipment of domestic clinics and a number of other factors significantly reduce its effectiveness and safety in comparison with clinics in Israel, Turkey, or Spain. There are risks of transplantation not only for the patient receiving bone marrow but also for the donor since the material for transplantation is received during surgery under anesthesia.

Bone marrow transplantation from a donor who is not a relative can only be performed abroad. The Ministry of Health of Ukraine fully pays for bone marrow transplantation abroad. Experts Medical will help you in preparing the necessary package of documents and going through all the internal procedures for preparing for financing. In this case, the search for donors is carried out in international donor banks.

Ichilov Clinic (Tel Aviv, Israel) rightfully occupies the leading position in hematology oncology. Sant Joan de Deu (Barcelona, ​​Spain) provides services in the same price category as Ichilov, holding its ground to the latter in quality. Clinics in Istanbul can perform bone marrow transplantation cheaper and without loss of efficiency.