• Cancer treatment is costly, both to the hospital and the patient; and
• Cancer treatment is risky and not all major hospitals are manned by medical experts.
The Asian Hospital and Medical Center is one of the few hospitals capable of giving hope to cancer patients. It has a Center for Bone Marrow Transplantation and considers bone marrow transplantation as one of its highly specialized disciplines.
The cost of bone marrow transplantation is known to be prohibitive. Hence, it is one of the unpopular medical procedures in the country.
Thus, the Asian Hospital and Medical Center makes the cost bearable to the patients and their families. It offers the service at a more acceptable rate.
Bone marrow transplantation costs approximately P1 million to P3 million depending on the gravity of the case, while in another major hospital the same procedure costs P5 million.
The procedure is undertaken by Dr. Francis Lopez, a seasoned doctor of hematology and oncology, along with senior medical practitioners of related disciplines such as Drs. Theresa Castillo (pathology), Allan Racho (pediatric hematology) and Salvador Abad Santos (infectious diseases).
What is bone marrow and why is it important?
Bone marrow is the soft, sponge-like material found inside the bones. It contains immature cells called stem cells that produce blood cells. There are three types of blood cells: white blood cells, which fight infection; red blood cells, which carry oxygen to and remove waste products from the organs and tissues; and platelets, which enable the blood to clot.
Most stem cells are found in the bone marrow, but some stem cells called peripheral blood stem cells can be found in the bloodstream. Stem cells can divide to form more stem cells, or they can mature into white blood cells, red blood cells or platelets.
What is bone marrow transplantation (BMT)?
Bone marrow transplantation is a procedure that restores stem cells that have been destroyed by high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.
There are three types of transplants:
• Autologous transplants, where patients receive their own stem cells;
• Syngeneic transplants, where patients receive stem cells from their identical twin; and
• Allogenic transplants, where patients receive stem cells from someone other than the patient or an identical twin. The patient’s brother, sister or parent may serve as the donor, also known as the matched sibling.
How is BMT used in cancer treatment?
The main purpose of BMT in cancer treatment is to make it possible for patients to receive very high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy generally affect cells that divide rapidly. They are used to treat cancer because cancer cells divide more often than most healthy cells. However, because bone marrow cells also divide frequently, high-dose treatments can severely damage or destroy the patient’s bone marrow.
Without a healthy bone marrow, the patient is no longer able to make the blood cells needed to carry oxygen, defend against infection, and prevent bleeding. BMT replaces the stem cells that were destroyed by treatment. The healthy transplanted stem cells can restore the bone marrow’s ability to produce the blood cells a patient needs.
How is allogenic BMT done?
The allogenic BMT is the transfusion of stem cells from a matched sibling. The patient receives an intensive chemotherapy to eradicate the marrow of the defective or cancer cells and to prevent rejection of the donor’s stem cells.
It will take approximately two weeks for the donor’s stem cells to engraft. The recipient’s new immune system will help wipe out the remaining cancer cells, in what is called graft-versus-tumor or leukemia effect.
What types of cancer use BMT?
BMT is most commonly used in the treatment of leukemia that is in remission (the signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared) and cancers that are not responding to other treatments or have recurred.
It is also used in the treatment of lymphoma, childhood brain tumors and neuroblastoma (an uncommon cancer that occurs most often in children).
The specific diseases that are curable with BMT are:
• Acute myelogenous (AML)
• Lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
• Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)
• Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)
• Multiple replapsed lymphomas
• Multiple myeloma
• Myeloproliferative diseases
BMT is also offered to patients with non-hematological diseases such as:
• Aplastic anemia
• Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH)
• Thalassemia
• Sickle cell anemia
• Immune-deficiency disorders
BMT is being explored in patients with solid tumors such as breast cancer and renal cancer.
The Center for Bone Marrow Transplantation has performed six cases since it was established in 2002.
For patient referral or inquiries, call 771-9213